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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced new measures to address a mental health crisis among frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state is partnering with Crisis Text Line, a non-profit providing text message-based mental health support, and the Kate Spade New York Foundation, which provides funding to organizations advocating for mental wellness….
Category Archives: News & Commentary
Levy Ratner Files Amicus Brief on Behalf of SEIU and 1199SEIU Supporting New York Challenge to DOL COVID-19 Regulations
Levy Ratner filed an amicus curiae brief on behalf of the Service Employees International Union and 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East supporting the New York State Attorney General’s lawsuit challenging the Trump Department of Labor’s regulations interpreting the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The amicus brief supports the NYS Attorney General’s argument that the federal…
Employees Have More Time to Take Action Regarding Health Coverage
The IRS and Department of Labor have issued new regulations, effective May 4, 2020, giving employees more time to make choices concerning their health coverage. The goal is to minimize the chance that workers lose coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic, by failing to meet existing deadlines under health plans. The regulations provide that certain time…
U.S. Department of Labor Clarifies Worker Eligibility for COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
In earlier LR What You Need to Know Now postings here and here, we discussed the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program under the federal CARES Act. PUA provides unemployment benefits to gig workers, independent contractors, self-employed individuals and workers who have run out of regular unemployment benefits, if they can’t work because of COVID-19 related reasons listed here. On April…
Congress Prohibits Surprise Billing by Some Healthcare Providers for COVID-19 Care
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. …
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…
NYC Immigrant Workers Left Out of Federal Stimulus to Receive Checks from City Relief Program
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that New York City would be partnering with the Open Society Foundation to create the New York City COVID-19 Immigrant Emergency Relief program. The Emergency Relief program will provide $20 million of relief directly to immigrant families in the form of a one-time, emergency relief payment similar to the stimulus…