At a point in the nation’s economic recovery in which job creation has been lackluster and many employers have been reticent to create jobs because of increased regulation, the unknown impact of the ACA, and other increased costs of doing business, President Obama has once again included in his proposed budget unemployment tax increases to be [...]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on December 27, 2013 published proposed rules with respect to the Right of Appeal for Medicare Secondary Payer Determination Relating to Liability Insurance (including Self-Insurance), No Fault Insurance, and Workers’ Compensation Laws and Plans. The proposed rules may be found at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-12-27/pdf/2013-30661.pdf#! and provide for comments to be [...]
In conjunction with the alert report for February 18th, CMS provided additional clarification that the change in Threshold is limited to physical trauma-based liability insurance settlements. (Note: This threshold does not apply to settlements for alleged ingestion, implantation or exposure cases.) The new threshold is effective immediately. This means that physical trauma-based liability settlements of $1000 [...]
The deadline to submit nominations for UI Recognition Awards for 2014 is fast approaching on March 1st. Don’t miss this opportunity to recognize your colleagues for significant contributions to Unemployment Insurance. Each year we accept nominations for awards to individuals who have had a profound impact on the Unemployment Insurance system as researchers, policy leaders and [...]
On February 18, 2014, CMS issued an alert indicating that it could set a threshold under which liability settlements would no longer need to be reported to CMS under MMSEA Section 111 and also would not require conditional payment reimbursement under the MSP. A copy of the alert can be found here. Unfortunately, the Alert raises [...]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on February 11th that it is seeking comments on the manner in which CMS plans to expand the Workers’ Compensation Medicare Set-Aside Arrangement (WCMSA) re-review process. See : http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coordination-of-Benefits-and-Recovery/Workers-Compensation-Medicare-Set-Aside-Arrangements/Downloads/WCMSA-Re-review-Expansion.pdf. Currently, CMS has a limited re-review process for WCMSA amounts that can be used in situations where CMS [...]
In response to the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-12-11/html/2013-29473.htm, UWC submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Attached are the complete comments. The primary points of the comments are summarized below. Comments Congress clearly indicated that civil money penalties were not to be imposed in all cases as a [...]
After weeks of discussion and procedural moves related to the proposed EUC extension the Senate could not come up with 60 votes on a version of legislation to move ahead on an extension. A major sticking point on the part of Republicans was the lack of provisions to pay for an extension. Majority leader Reid at [...]
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-Mich.), House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) today [...]
Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) has proposed a new amendment to S 1845 that would extend EUC through March 31st and seek to “pay for” the extension largely through a pension smoothing proposal that would permit employers to reduce pension contributions, resulting in money available to be spent in the economy and presumably increase tax revenue. Apparently [...]