The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the work environment in many ways, including a significant impact on employer-sponsored health benefits. The past year has resulted in changes to how frequently individuals visit the doctor (or do not visit the doctor), purchase eligible medical expenses, and need dependent care. In response to the pandemic, the IRS, Congress,
How Telecommuting During the COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts the Disability Interactive Process
As more businesses start to reopen, the COVID-19 pandemic will have long-term effects on the work environment beyond temperature checks and social distancing protocols. One impact is that it may be harder for employers to justify denying a disabled employee’s request for an accommodation to work from home. Whereas employers previously may have been reluctant
Dating in the Workplace: Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, If Coworkers Date, You Might Be Sued
With Valentine’s Day upon us, cupid may have left a few arrows in the workplace. People spend a lot of time with coworkers, including time at work and at social events, so it is not unheard of for workplace relationships to evolve into romantic relationships. A U.S. workforce study found that 36 percent of workers
Use It, Don’t Lose It! Everything Your Public Agency Needs to Know About Notifying Employees of the Deadline for Using Flexible Spending Account Funds
On August 30, 2019, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1554, which requires employers to notify employees of the deadline to withdraw flexible spending account funds. Many employers offer employees the opportunity to participate in flexible spending accounts. These are employer-owned accounts into which employees can put money to pay for certain eligible expenses on a
Deadline For Reporting Out-of-Class Appointments to CalPERS Is Fast Approaching: Are You Ready?
The post was authored by Stephanie Lowe.
CalPERS agencies must report the number of hours worked by employees in “out-of-class appointments” to CalPERS no later than July 30, 2018. As discussed in our earlier blog, Assembly Bill 1487 went into effect January 1, 2018 adding Government Code section 20480 to the Public Employees’
CalPERS Reduces Amortization Period with Impacts to Employer Contribution Rates
This post was authored by Stephanie J. Lowe and Frances Rogers.
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) recently decided to change its Actuarial Amortization Policy (“Amortization Policy”), which will impact employer contribution rates for contracting agencies. The revised Amortization Policy will go into effect for public agencies in the 2021-2022 fiscal year, which
To Be or Not to Be an Adverse Employment Action – What is Paid Administrative Leave?
This blog post was reviewed in September 2019 to provide the most up-to-date legal information.
This principle used to be clear – paid administrative leave was outside the scope of adverse employment action. This was based on court holdings that an employee suffers no substantial or material change in terms and conditions of employment while
Disaster and Medical Relief Workers: How to Compensate Public Employees Deployed to Help Others
This post was authored by Stephanie J. Lowe and Brett A. Overby
Over the past two months, a series of hurricanes has caused devastation to the United States, Puerto Rico, and other regions. As a result, the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) has called upon some public employees with special skills to deploy to the
Is Your Public Agency Aware of These Lesser Known Job-Protected Leaves?
Many public agencies are familiar with the well-known reasons why an employee can take time off of work, such as for paid sick leave, family and medical leave, disability or industrial injury leave, and jury duty leave. However, in California, there are a few “lesser known” leaves that often get overlooked. These leaves include School
When Retirees Earn Post-Retirement Income, Is Your Agency Responsible for Their Increased Costs to Medicare?
After the retirement parties are over, some individuals never truly retire. Instead of taking it easy, some retirees choose to perform post-retirement work for non-CalPERS employers. For example, a retired police captain may work for a private security firm and or a retired Human Resources director may open a private consulting practice. While a retiree’s