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Ever-changing quarantine and isolation guidelines cause confusion for employers

Q What are the current COVID-19 rules regarding leave and quarantine for a positive test? Should it begin from symptom onset or from test date? We want to allow employees to return to work as soon as possible, but we...

Feb 28, 2022 · Employment Law Letter · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · Mid-Atlantic · Delaware · Maryland · New Jersey · Pennsylvania · Virginia · Midsouth · Kentucky · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee · West Virginia · Midwest · Arkansas · Kansas · Missouri · Oklahoma · Mountain West · Colorado · Idaho · Montana · New Mexico · Utah · Wyoming · New England · Connecticut · Maine · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · Rhode Island · Vermont · Southeast · Alabama · Florida · Georgia · Louisiana · Mississippi · Upper Midwest · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota · West · Alaska · Arizona · Hawaii · Nevada · Oregon · Washington

Taxes owed on LTD benefits depend on who pays premiums, and how

Q If we pay the premium for employees’ long-term disability (LTD) benefits and they need to use LTD one day, would they owe taxes on the amount they receive? A There are two main types of LTD plans. The first is...

Feb 28, 2022 · Employment Law Letter · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · Mid-Atlantic · Delaware · Maryland · New Jersey · Pennsylvania · Virginia · Midsouth · Kentucky · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee · West Virginia · Midwest · Arkansas · Kansas · Missouri · Oklahoma · Mountain West · Colorado · Idaho · Montana · New Mexico · Utah · Wyoming · New England · Connecticut · Maine · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · Rhode Island · Vermont · Southeast · Alabama · Florida · Georgia · Louisiana · Mississippi · Upper Midwest · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota · West · Alaska · Arizona · Hawaii · Nevada · Oregon · Washington

Waiting game: status report on OSHA ETS, various state plans

As we await word on the fate of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) COVID-19 vaccine-or-weekly-testing mandate for larger employers, it’s clear the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) doesn’t seem to be in...

Feb 28, 2022 · Employment Law Letter · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · Mid-Atlantic · Delaware · Maryland · New Jersey · Pennsylvania · Virginia · Midsouth · Kentucky · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee · West Virginia · Midwest · Arkansas · Kansas · Missouri · Oklahoma · Mountain West · Colorado · Idaho · Montana · New Mexico · Utah · Wyoming · New England · Connecticut · Maine · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · Rhode Island · Vermont · Southeast · Alabama · Florida · Georgia · Louisiana · Mississippi · Upper Midwest · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota · West · Alaska · Arizona · Hawaii · Nevada · Oregon · Washington

New NYSDOH guidance may help rein in COVID-19 paid sick leave

At the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, the New York Legislature passed a paid sick leave benefit affording up to 14 days of sick leave. Then, the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) issued guidance in January...

Feb 28, 2022 · Employment Law Letter · New York

Forcing employees to work overtime has practical implications

Q Can employees be forced to work overtime? What is the legal recourse if they refuse to work overtime that is required? A In Mississippi, other than limitations on the hours of work for minors, there’s no prohibition...

Feb 28, 2022 · Employment Law Letter · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · Mid-Atlantic · Delaware · Maryland · New Jersey · Pennsylvania · Virginia · Midsouth · Kentucky · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee · West Virginia · Midwest · Arkansas · Kansas · Missouri · Oklahoma · Mountain West · Colorado · Idaho · Montana · New Mexico · Utah · Wyoming · New England · Connecticut · Maine · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · Rhode Island · Vermont · Southeast · Alabama · Florida · Georgia · Louisiana · Mississippi · Upper Midwest · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota · West · Alaska · Arizona · Hawaii · Nevada · Oregon · Washington

MA attorney general weighs in on employer obligations during COVID-19

As we wade into the waters of yet another COVID-19 pandemic year, employers seem to be facing more questions than answers when it comes to virus-related topics. Federal vaccine mandates have been hot topics and triggered...

Feb 28, 2022 · Employment Law Letter · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · Mid-Atlantic · Delaware · Maryland · New Jersey · Pennsylvania · Virginia · Midsouth · Kentucky · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee · West Virginia · Midwest · Arkansas · Kansas · Missouri · Oklahoma · Mountain West · Colorado · Idaho · Montana · New Mexico · Utah · Wyoming · New England · Connecticut · Maine · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · Rhode Island · Vermont · Southeast · Alabama · Florida · Georgia · Louisiana · Mississippi · Upper Midwest · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota · West · Alaska · Arizona · Hawaii · Nevada · Oregon · Washington

How OSHA may respond to defeat of COVID-19 vaccine mandate

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) COVID-19 vaccine mandate for larger private employers may not be declared officially dead yet, but it’s certainly on life support after the U.S. Supreme Court...

Feb 28, 2022 · Employment Law Letter · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · Mid-Atlantic · Delaware · Maryland · New Jersey · Pennsylvania · Virginia · Midsouth · Kentucky · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee · West Virginia · Midwest · Arkansas · Kansas · Missouri · Oklahoma · Mountain West · Colorado · Idaho · Montana · New Mexico · Utah · Wyoming · New England · Connecticut · Maine · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · Rhode Island · Vermont · Southeast · Alabama · Florida · Georgia · Louisiana · Mississippi · Upper Midwest · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota · West · Alaska · Arizona · Hawaii · Nevada · Oregon · Washington

‘What’s a guy got to do to get a claim around here?!’

My teaching portfolio at the UNT-Dallas College of Law of course includes employment discrimination law. Here’s a fundamental principle I always try to impart to students: The facts of a case—no matter how wrong they...

Feb 28, 2022 · Employment Law Letter · Texas

Arbitration deconstruction: Let’s take a look at the mechanics

I thought it would be useful to look at an arbitration agreement approved by the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals (which covers Texas) and, well, take it apart like an engine. We’ll look at why it works to accomplish...

Feb 28, 2022 · Employment Law Letter · Texas

Paying for COVID-19 testing costs

Q If an employer requires COVID-19 testing as a condition of employment, who covers the cost? A Under the current Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard, employers aren’t required to cover the cost...

Feb 28, 2022 · Employment Law Letter · Texas

Employee helping mom care for dad raises FMLA quandary

Q An employee's dad is being flown to another hospital for COVID-19 treatment. She needs to drive her mom to the new hospital and therefore will miss at least one day of work. Would her time off qualify as Family and...

Feb 28, 2022 · Employment Law Letter · Texas

Tips for navigating Iowa COVID-19 workplace requirements

At the time of this posting, the Biden administration has rescinded the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) vaccine-or-test mandate for employers with at least 100 employees. Similar rules for federal...

Feb 28, 2022 · Employment Law Letter · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · Mid-Atlantic · Delaware · Maryland · New Jersey · Pennsylvania · Virginia · Midsouth · Kentucky · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee · West Virginia · Midwest · Arkansas · Kansas · Missouri · Oklahoma · Mountain West · Colorado · Idaho · Montana · New Mexico · Utah · Wyoming · New England · Connecticut · Maine · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · Rhode Island · Vermont · Southeast · Alabama · Florida · Georgia · Louisiana · Mississippi · Upper Midwest · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota · West · Alaska · Arizona · Hawaii · Nevada · Oregon · Washington

Recreational pot in the Old Dominion? It’s complicated

In 2021, Virginia became the first state in the Deep South to legalize marijuana. As a consequence, employers in the Commonwealth have been bracing themselves for the impact legal marijuana use may have on their...

Feb 28, 2022 · Employment Law Letter · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · Mid-Atlantic · Delaware · Maryland · New Jersey · Pennsylvania · Virginia · Midsouth · Kentucky · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee · West Virginia · Midwest · Arkansas · Kansas · Missouri · Oklahoma · Mountain West · Colorado · Idaho · Montana · New Mexico · Utah · Wyoming · New England · Connecticut · Maine · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · Rhode Island · Vermont · Southeast · Alabama · Florida · Georgia · Louisiana · Mississippi · Upper Midwest · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota · West · Alaska · Arizona · Hawaii · Nevada · Oregon · Washington

Free over-the-counter COVID-19 tests (if you can find them)

COVID-19 tests are now available over-the-counter (OTC) (if you can find them) through pharmacies, retail stores, and online retailers, and health plans must cover the cost, according to recent guidance from several...

Feb 28, 2022 · Employment Law Letter · Great Lakes · Illinois · Indiana · Michigan · Ohio · Wisconsin · Mid-Atlantic · Delaware · Maryland · New Jersey · Pennsylvania · Virginia · Midsouth · Kentucky · North Carolina · South Carolina · Tennessee · West Virginia · Midwest · Arkansas · Kansas · Missouri · Oklahoma · Mountain West · Colorado · Idaho · Montana · New Mexico · Utah · Wyoming · New England · Connecticut · Maine · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · Rhode Island · Vermont · Southeast · Alabama · Florida · Georgia · Louisiana · Mississippi · Upper Midwest · Iowa · Minnesota · Nebraska · North Dakota · South Dakota · West · Alaska · Arizona · Hawaii · Nevada · Oregon · Washington