The US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Unemployment Insurance today posted the results of its review of state unemployment trust fund loan status. Below is the report showing FUTA Tax Rates for 2014. See posting at: http://oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/finance.asp States with increased FUTA tax rates include: California: 1.8% Connecticut: 2.3% Indiana: 2.1% Kentucky: 1.8% New York: [...]
Business representatives concerned about the impact of a failure by Congress to extend the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) today sent a letter to the House leadership urging that the House pass legislation that would provide for a long term extension of the program. The letter signed by forty-seven businesses, federal and state trade associations points [...]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on October 6th released an updated User Guide to Section 111 Reporting for Non-Group Health Plans to meet Medicare Secondary Payer reporting requirements. The full posting may be found at http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coordination-of-Benefits-and-Recovery/Mandatory-Insurer-Reporting-For-Non-Group-Health-Plans/NGHP-User-Guide/NGHP-User-Guide.html The following updates were made to Chapter 1of the user guide: The Department of Health & Human [...]
In a web site release on September 22nd CMS announced plans to provide for a portal system procedure to provide valuation of prescription drugs for purposes of WCMSAs. The policy may be accessed at http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coordination-of-Benefits-and-Recovery/Workers-Compensation-Medicare-Set-Aside-Arrangements/Whats-New/Downloads/Upcoming-Enhancement-WCMSAP-for-PD-Information.pdf As of October 6, 2014, portal users will be able to enter information on the new Prescription Drugs page for any [...]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in an alert posted to its web site on September 10th released new policy effective January 5, 2015 that provides increased flexibility to employers and WC plan administrators to submit Section 111 reports to CMS. The alert responds to Section 204 of the Strengthening Medicare and Repaying Taxpayers [...]
The practice of physician repackaging prescription drugs and selling to their patients has become an issue in a number of states (e.g. Florida) and now is the subject of reform legislation broadly supported by the business community in Pennsylvania. A recent study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) found that physician-dispensed medications account for 29% [...]
The slow economic recovery from the Great recession and solvency measures implemented in a number of states is finally resulting in the repayment of Title XII loans and avoidance of increasing Federal Unemployment Taxes in a number of states for 2014. As of January 1, 2014 16 states and jurisdictions had outstanding loans to be repaid. [...]
The House Ways and Means Committee released a Report today finding that job growth weakened post the 2008 recession while EUC paid out record levels of benefits. The full report is available at http://waysandmeans.house.gov/uploadedfiles/euc_labor_day_report_082814.pdf The report points to findings from scholars at the University of Pennsylvania who found that the extended EUC benefits had a “dramatic [...]
Miami-Dade County Circuit Court Judge Jorge E. Cueto issued an opinion on August 13th declaring that Florida's exclusive remedy statute was facially unconstitutional (see attached). In a wide ranging opinion the judge reviews federal and state court cases going back to 1917. The decision responds to a request for declaratory relief from intervenor parties Florida Workers' [...]
On August 15th, US DOL announced a series of webinars to engage the public in implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The Act was signed into law by President Obama on July 22, 2014. The full announcement can be found at http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/attach/TEN/TEN_6-14.pdf Employers, states and their representatives are encouraged to participate in these [...]