Employers may need to revisit how their collective bargaining agreements (CBA) deal with leave requests from their unionized workforce. A recent Department of Labor (DOL) opinion letter makes clear that the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) doesn’t take a back seat to a CBA that requires employees to exhaust paid leave before utilizing FMLA. … Continued
Parents recently received a thumbs up from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to use intermittent FMLA leave to attend individualized education program (IEP) meetings related to a child with a serious health condition. Issued on August 8, 2019, the DOL’s new opinion letter states that attending IEP meetings falls within the FMLA-qualifying reason of … Continued
May an employee who is unable to work for an FMLA-qualifying reason choose to use paid time off without having it designated as FMLA leave? The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) says, “No.” In a March 14, 2019 opinion letter, the DOL made two significant clarifications on FMLA designations. First, the DOL declared that employers … Continued
Without wasting any time in the New Year, on Friday, January 5th, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) announced that the ERISA claims handling regulations that were effective January of last year and delayed until April 1, 2018, will indeed be applicable to disability claims filed on or after April 1, 2018. The DOL … Continued
ReedGroup’s compliance attorneys presented leave of absence highlights from 2017 at the final Disability Management Employer Coalition’s (DMEC) Colorado chapter meeting on Thursday, December 7th. The presentation focused on an annual wrap-up of the legislative changes, notable cases, and agency action related to leave of absence and disability. 2017 proved to be fruitful for legislators, … Continued
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) announced its Final Rule, issuing a 90-day delay to the applicability of the ERISA disability claims handling regulations (ERISA Regulation Amendments). The DOL’s Final Rule delaying the ERISA Regulation Amendments is set for official publication on Wednesday, November 29. In response to concerns that … Continued
ReedGroup’s VP of Compliance goes to Washington: Sits on panel with Labor Secretary, Hon. Alexander Acosta and EEOC’s Acting Chair Victoria Lipnic Last week I was honored to participate on a panel with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) Acting Chair, Victoria Lipnic, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Alex Acosta, and … Continued
Today the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), proposing a 90-day delay to the applicability of the ERISA disability claims handling regulations. The DOL’s NPRM is set for official publication on Thursday, October 12th. In December of 2016, the DOL issued a Final Rule amending … Continued
Saturday, August 5, 2017 marks the 24th anniversary of the day the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) became effective. Signed by President Bill Clinton on February 5, 1993, and made effective on August 5, 1993, the FMLA provides eligible employees with the right to job-protected unpaid leave for qualifying family and medical reasons. Under … Continued
ReedGroup informed you in December of changes to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act’s (ERISA’s) regulations impacting disability benefits. On July 20th, the Trump administration announced that these regulations are part of the Spring 2017 Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. These regulations are now on review for “law and policy” to determine … Continued
