US DOL Addresses PUA Integrity in Updated Q and A
On July 21, 2020 the U.S. Department of Labor released Unemployment Insurance Program Letter No. 16-20 Change 2. The UIPL seeks to answer a number of questions posed by states in the administration of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program and also addresses integrity issues that have been raised by the Office of Inspector General, employers, states and UWC. The [...]
UI Taxes Are Going Up due to the COVID-19 Recession
Attention is needed to Charging and Rates Many State UI agencies had difficulty managing the dramatic increases in unemployment compensation claims arising from lay-offs and the recession. Just as states are catching up with UI benefit payment issues, many are also having difficulty matching charges with employer accounts. The additional $600 payment required under Section 2104 of the CARES Act [...]
Congress Enacts (S. 4209) to Provide Benefit Charging Procedure Relief for Reimbursing Employers
On July 9, 2020 the US House or Representatives passed S. 4209 by unanimous consent to provide a much-needed fix to help reimbursing employers manage the required payments in lieu of contributions charged to their accounts for unemployment compensation. The passage came after the US Senate had also passed the bill by unanimous consent. This remarkable bi-partisan action by both [...]
What Comments Were Filed on CMS Proposed Civil Monetary Penalty Rules and When Will CMS Respond ?
Many comments were submitted in response to proposed rules released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on February 18, 2020. There has been very little communication from CMS about how it plans to respond to the comments. The process of developing rules goes back to December of 2013 with the first rules proposal that was met with [...]
UWC Opposes Longshore Workers’ Comp Presumption for COVID in HEROES Act
On Monday, June 8, 2020, UWC submitted a letter of opposition to the House and Senate Committees with jurisdiction concerning Title V Section 120501 of the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES Act) as it was passed by the House of Representatives. The letter was submitted to assure that the committees with jurisdiction over the Longshore Act [...]
Congressman Kevin Brady, House Ways and Means Ranking Member, Introduces Return To Work Bonus Legislation
On June 1, 2020, Congressman Kevin Brady (R-TX), the Ranking Member on the House Committee on Ways and Means, announced introduction of the Reopening America by Supporting Workers and Businesses Act of 2020. Background: As part of the CARES Act, Congress provided $600/week in supplemental unemployment benefits to provide much needed support and economic relief for workers who lost their [...]