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Insurance

8 ways to trim marginal benefits, max out those that work

04/14/2009

In today’s pared-to-the-bone business environment, you can’t waste time or money offering benefits no one cares about. If you haven’t already, now’s the time to take a magnifying glass to your benefits. Look for efficiencies in these eight places.

What happens if workers’ comp carrier doesn’t respond to referral request?

04/14/2009

Q. The authorized treating physician of an employee who suffered a job-related injury referred the employee to a pain management specialist. Now our employee tells us that our workers’ compensation carrier has not responded to the referral request. The carrier evidently believes that this referral is not reasonably and medically necessary. Can it deny the referral request for that reason?

Changed work schedule isn’t workers’ comp retaliation

04/09/2009

A minor schedule change to accommodate medical restrictions isn’t retaliation.

Retirees leave utility with lifetime benefits

04/07/2009

When employees of Penasco Valley Telecommunications retire, they walk away with health, dental, life and vision insurance for life—and free cell phone service for a year. The Artesia, N.M., telecommunications cooperative has 90 employees with an average tenure of 17 years.

How does an employee’s FMLA leave status affect how we conduct a layoff?

04/07/2009

Q. I am the HR manager of a company with about 350 employees. I have just learned that the company is eliminating one product line and, as a result, there will be a layoff in that department. One of the employees who would be laid off is on FMLA leave. How do I handle this situation? …

IRS clarifies COBRA subsidy’s ‘involuntary termination’ language—sort of

04/07/2009

When the mammoth American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) economic stimulus law was enacted in February, lots of the details were still fuzzy. Now the IRS has defined a key term that governs who qualifies for the 65% COBRA subsidy built into the law. The only trouble is, the definition poses more questions than it answers.

After the fact, employee can’t claim illness caused absence

04/02/2009

Sometimes, employees hesitate to tell supervisors about their medical problems, especially if they feel there’s a stigma associated with the condition. But if the employee misses work and is fired, she can’t use the medical excuse to get unemployment compensation benefits.

Will economic stress increase workers’ comp cases? State panel evens playing field

04/01/2009

Coupled with the stress of worrying about the economy and whether their jobs will be gone tomorrow, more employees may develop psychiatric or stress-related illnesses. Some will file workers’ compensation claims.

Courts crack down on workers’ comp for minor injuries

03/30/2009

It used to be that an employee who continued to suffer any pain following a work-related injury could continue receiving workers’ compensation payments until she was fully healed. Now, however, Industrial Commission judges are getting tougher on pain that isn’t backed up by medical evidence. That’s good news …

North Carolina Legislature considers new employment laws

03/30/2009

Barely two months into the 2009-2010 session, the North Carolina General Assembly has already introduced a profusion of employment-related bills. Employers should keep a watchful eye on several bills that already appear to have strong support this new legislative year.