Carmody @ Work

Updates for Employers on Important Workplace Issues

Blog Authors

All Authors

Alan H. Bowie Jr.

Stephanie E. Cummings

Timothy S. Klimpl

Holly Wheeler

Mark Williams

Nick Zaino

Latest from Carmody @ Work

Carmody @ Work

Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021-Retirement Plan Provisions

By Mark Williams

February 22, 2021

Partial Plan Termination Relief Many employers may be facing what the IRS guidance refers to as a partial plan termination. Generally, this occurs when the number of employees participating in a qualified retirement plan, such as a 401(k) plan, decreases by 20% or more during the Plan Year. This is calculated by dividing all employer initiated severances by the number of active participants, including employees who became participants during the year. If there is a…

Carmody @ Work

COVID-19 Vaccines Go to Work

By Mark Williams & Timothy S. Klimpl

February 11, 2021

We have been getting questions about the extent to which employers may encourage their employees to obtain COVID-19 vaccines when they become eligible. There are a couple of thorny legal issues that may arise when employers offer incentives in connection with a voluntary employer-sponsored COVID-19 vaccination program. We are aware that several large employers are currently offering incentives for employees to get vaccinated. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) strictly limits medical examinations and disability-related…

Carmody @ Work

Voluntary FFCRA and Other Worker Benefits Under the Continued Assistance to Unemployed Workers Act

By Stephanie E. Cummings

January 7, 2021

On December 28, 2020, President Trump signed into law a $2.3 trillion dollar Omnibus Spending Bill. The massive Omnibus Spending Bill contains several Acts, including the Continued Assistance to Unemployed Workers Act (“CAUWA”), mainly focusing on the expansion of federal unemployment relief and worker entitlements. One of the highlights of CAUWA is the extension of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) tax credit for employers through March 2021, without a corresponding extension of the…

Carmody @ Work

COVID-19 Relief

By Mark Williams & Stephanie E. Cummings

December 30, 2020

On Sunday night, President Trump signed into law the $2.3 trillion Omnibus Spending Bill, which includes $900 billion in funding for COVID-19 relief. The massive bill encompasses various Acts including (1) the Continued Assistance to Unemployed Workers Act, (2) the Economic Aid to Hard Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Venues Act, (3) the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Relief Act of 2020, and (4) the No Surprises Act. These Acts are summarized below. The Continued Assistance…

Carmody @ Work

Updates on Connecticut Travel Advisory and FFCRA Regulations

By All Authors

September 16, 2020

Under Governor Lamont’s Latest Executive Order, Travelers from “Hot Spot” States Exempt from Self-Quarantine if they Meet Certain Testing Requirements Under prior Executive Orders, travelers arriving in Connecticut from “hot spot” states are required to self-quarantine for a period of 14 days from the time of last contact with the hot spot state. Under newly-issued Executive Order No. 9B, an affected traveler is exempt from the self-quarantine requirement if he or she has had (i)…

Carmody @ Work

Connecticut’s Sexual Harassment Training Deadline Extended to January 1, 2021

By All Authors

September 15, 2020

Under the Time’s Up Act, nearly all Connecticut employers are required to provide sexual harassment prevention training for all employees, including supervisors and non-supervisors. The original deadline for complying with the training requirement was October 1, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and in accordance with Executive Order 7DDD, the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (“CHRO”) allowed employers to request a one-time 90-day extension of the deadline, provided the extension was received…

Carmody @ Work

CHRO Provides Extensions for Certain Deadlines

By All Authors

April 10, 2020

As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, the Connecticut Commission for Human Rights and Opportunities (“CHRO”) has announced it will provide extensions of time for certain deadlines for COVID-19 related reasons. Sexual Harassment Training The CHRO posted on its website that it will consider a 90-day extension of the deadline for employers to provide sexual harassment training to new employees hired on or after October 1, 2019. We confirmed with the CHRO that this extension…

Carmody @ Work

Coronavirus Concerns for Healthcare Providers and Organizations

By All Authors

March 24, 2020

As the Coronavirus continues to spread nationwide, we recognize that health care providers and other organizations (“Organizations”) are dealing with the virus on the “front lines.” We have provided the following advice for the many growing concerns surrounding your Organizations. Privacy Considerations for Health Care Providers Organizations need to ensure that they continue to observe legal and ethical obligations with respect to the privacy of patients, colleagues and employees including, but not limited to, their…

Carmody @ Work

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act

By Nick Zaino & Mark Williams

March 19, 2020

Yesterday, March 18, 2020, Congress passed, and President Trump signed into law, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, that provides many American workers up to 12 weeks of paid FMLA leave and two weeks of paid sick leave for certain reasons related to COVID-19. Employers are required to pay these amounts to eligible employees, and employers would be eligible for a tax credit on the amounts paid. We have included below some basic information on…

Carmody @ Work

COVID-19 Update

By All Authors

March 18, 2020

First and foremost, we hope everyone is doing well and taking all appropriate measures to safeguard the health and safety of employees, clients, visitors and others with whom you do business. You should be closely monitoring developments at the national, state and local level, communicating with your employees regularly, and making necessary adjustments in how you conduct your business. That is what we are doing at Carmody. We know that many of you have received…