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Maybe it’s happened to you. Before you make an appointment or visit the emergency room, you check to make sure that the doctor or hospital is in-network under your health plan. Weeks later, an out-of-network doctor involved in your care bills you for the difference between the in-network rate your plan paid and the provider’s usual charge. …
Category Archives: Covid-19 News
Do You Need to Return to Work? Considerations for Workers as States Begin to Reopen
Governor Cuomo announced a timeline for reopening New York state, which may include allowing “low-risk” upstate businesses to open as early as May 15th. Meanwhile, states like Georgia, Colorado, and Minnesota, have already pushed ahead with reopening businesses such as restaurants and barbershops amid a patchwork of rules about what businesses were allowed to reopen….
Temperature Taking in the Workplace: New EEOC Guidelines For COVID-19 Testing in the Workplace
The Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC), the federal agency that enforces laws against workplace discrimination including the Americans with Disabilities Act, updated its COVID-19 guidelines. The EEOC gave employers the right to test workers for COVID-19 before they enter the workplace. Have questions about your rights in the workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic? Please see…
Workplace Safety for Essential Workers: OSHA Categories of COVID-19 Risk Exposure
Are you an “essential” worker? If so, is your workplace providing you with the protection that you need during the COVID-19 outbreak? Since the start of the pandemic, thousands of employees have filed workplace safety complaints with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA has published guidance that groups workplaces into four categories of…
Good News for NJ Unemployment Applicants: System Updated in Wake of Historic COVID-19-Related Unemployment Claims
In the past four weeks, more than 718,000 New Jersey workers have lost their jobs and filed for unemployment according to the NJ Department of Labor. This historic number has overwhelmed NJ’s unemployment system and resulted in delays in processing applications. In response, NJ has implemented several changes to streamline the application process for the…
NY Attorney General Sues U.S. Department of Labor over COVID-19 Regulations
New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit in federal district court challenging the U.S. Department of Labor’s rule narrowing workers’ access to paid sick leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Note: This LR What You Need to Know Now deals with the NY Attorney General’s legal challenge to the federal rule,…
COVID-19 New York Update: What paid time can I use if I need to isolate or quarantine because of COVID-19? Where do I get an order to isolate or quarantine?
Workers in New York State can receive paid leave if they are under an order of quarantine or isolation from the state or a local health department and cannot work remotely. New York State law allows workers to combine different types of paid time off to be used while under quarantine/isolation. There is no waiting…
New Jersey Expands Employee Leave and Disability Benefits During Covid-19 Emergency
Under a new law effective March 25, 2020, workers in New Jersey are entitled to expanded family leave, earned sick leave and temporary disability insurance benefits during a state of emergency, such as that declared by Governor Murphy for COVID-19. Here are the details: Earned Sick and Safe Time Leave An employee accrues one hour…
App-Based Workers Eligible for Unemployment Benefits During the COVID-19 Pandemic
On March 26, 2020, New York’s highest court issued an important decision that opens the door for New York “gig” and app-based workers to be classified as employees who enjoy the worker protections that independent contractors lack. The delivery app Postmates is required to contribute to the state unemployment insurance fund for Postmates couriers who…
Lost Your Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Due to COVID-19? You Have Options
Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, been laid off or had their hours reduced because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most have lost their job-based health coverage as a result. If this has happened to you, there are options for obtaining other coverage for you and your family. If you have no income or it’s…