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Compensation & Benefits

Study: ACA won’t spike individual health premiums

09/24/2013
Individuals shopping for health insurance in state-based exchanges beginning Oct. 1 are unlikely to encounter skyrocketing premiums, according to a new study by the RAND Corp. However, researchers caution that the cost of policies in the individual market will vary between states.

SBA: No penalties for dropping ACA employee-notification ball

09/23/2013
The Small Business Administration has issued a coy blog post observing that the ACA doesn’t penalize employers that don’t comply with a key employee-notice requirement.

Affordable Care Act: Dept. of Unintended Consequences

09/23/2013
On Oct. 1, the government of an Indiana county will fire more than 30 employees over age 65. Officials say they have no choice, blaming a provision of the Affordable Care Act

Special analysis: Fall is fringe-festival time

09/23/2013
Fall is when most companies assess their fringe benefits programs, with an eye to making changes for the coming year. It’s also when Payroll begins to assess the damage (taxes, that is) from the current year’s offerings. How to sort everything out? Here’s some help.

California minimum wage to hit $10 per hour in 2016

09/18/2013
By 2016, California may have the nation’s highest minimum wage—$10 per hour—after the state Legislature approved a two-step plan to raise the rate from its current $8 per hour.

Employer sued for ‘forcing’ employees to take paycards

09/18/2013
Low-wage employees have initiated a class-action lawsuit in Pennsylvania against their employer, alleging that they were forced to receive their wages via paycards, thus incurring fees for accessing their pay. The lawsuit asks the employer to pony up for those fees. Don’t get caught in a similar situation.

Family health premiums up just 4% this year

09/17/2013
Annual premiums for employer-provided family health coverage rose a relatively modest 4% this year, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Family premiums averaged $16,351, with employees paying $4,565 toward the cost of their coverage.

Parenting Leave Act changes now in effect

09/16/2013
Amendments to Minnesota’s Par­­ent­­ing Leave Act took effect Aug. 1, expanding the definition of “covered family members” from just children. Now the definition includes not only minor children and those attending school (up to age 20), but also the employee’s own spouse, siblings, adult children, parents, grandparents and step-parents.

Unemployment: Failing to report income is fraud

09/16/2013
Former employees who collect unemployment benefits while working part-time jobs must report that income.

For OT, it’s the truck’s weight classification–not the load–that counts

09/16/2013

Employers have long relied on the truck weight classification—not the actual weight the truck is carrying—to determine whether a driver received overtime. That was recently challenged in a class-action lawsuit.