Last month, the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccinations were approved for emergency use within the United States. As of January 15, 2021 the CDC estimates 31.2M vaccine doses have been distributed in the United States with 10.6M people receiving their first dose of the vaccine. As the..
U.S. Department of Labor Announces Annual Adjustments to OSHA Civil Penalties

Category: Health and Safety, OSHA
The U.S. Department of Labor has announced adjustments to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) civil penalty amounts based on cost-of-living adjustments for 2021.OSHA's maximum penalties for serious and other-than-serious violations will increase from $13,494 per violation to..
COVID-19 Data Tracker Update as of January 9, 2021

Category: Data Analytics, COVID-19
Below you will find a COVID-19 tracker report for January 9, 2021, with updated testing, infection and hospitalization rates for both state and national data in addition to an updated COVID-19 county tracker.
OSHA Alert: Submit Required Data by March 2, 2021

Category: Health and Safety, OSHA
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reminds employers that the agency will begin collecting calendar year 2020 Form 300A data on Jan. 2, 2021. Employers must submit the form electronically by March 2, 2021.
COVID-19 Data Tracker Update as of January 3, 2021

Category: Data Analytics, COVID-19
Below you will find a COVID-19 tracker report for January 3, 2021, with updated testing, infection and hospitalization rates for both state and national data in addition to an updated COVID-19 county tracker.
ACA Reporting: 1095 Distribution Extensions Announced

Category: Employee Benefits, Affordable Care Act
The IRS announced limited relief from some of the 2020 ACA reporting requirements (IRC Sections 6055 and 6056). Specifically, the relief has to do with the 1095-B and 1095-C forms, which relate to reporting individuals’ coverage.
HHS Issues Two New Congressional Reports Related to HIPAA Compliance and Breach Notifications

Category: Employee Benefits
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has recently released two reports to Congress regarding HIPAA compliance and breaches of unsecured protected health information (PHI). The compliance report notes that hundreds of cases during 2018 resulted in corrective actions, and 11..
New Transparency in Coverage Rules: What are the Responsibilities for Employers and Carriers?

Category: Employee Benefits
On October 29, 2020, the IRS, DOL and HHS jointly issued the “Transparency in Coverage” final rule. First proposed in November 2019 as per Executive Order 13877, the final rule imposes new cost-sharing and pricing disclosure requirements upon group health plans and health insurers. Generally,..
4 Strategies for Avoiding Injuries Among Young Workers

Category: Health and Safety
Employers today are challenged with an ever-changing workforce and are often hiring young workers at their companies. Experience levels are usually very low for this demographic and along with that comes the increased risk of injury.
COVID-19 Impact Bulletin: Vaccinations – Who's Paying & Should Employers Mandate Them?

Category: Human Resources, COVID-19
With the first COVID-19 vaccination receiving emergency-use authorization and beginning to ship across the United States, questions are arising as to who will pay for the vaccine and how much it will cost. Additionally, employers are wondering whether they can or should mandate the vaccine for..