This year, the California Legislature passed and the Governor approved the Contraceptive Equity Act of 2022 (Senate Bill 523 or SB 523), a piece of legislation intended to increase the ability of Californians to exercise full control over their reproductive decisions and to expand coverage and decrease access barriers to reproductive health services.
Among other
Does anyone want to hear about the potential for a COVID-19 winter surge? Probably not. Unfortunately, experts warn that a surge is possible. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) warns about new immunity-evading Omicron subvariants, BQ.1 and BQ.1.1. CDC models show that these new variants, which just a few weeks ago accounted for
Less than two and a half years after proclaiming a state of emergency related to COVID-19, Governor Newsom has proclaimed a state of emergency in response to the ongoing monkeypox (“MPX”) outbreak. While the number of MPX cases in California is relatively small compared to the number of COVID-19 cases and the outbreak less likely
This post originally appeared in January 2022.
In light of the current surge in COVID-19 cases, it is important that employers understand their obligations in the event that there is a COVID-19 outbreak at one of their workplaces.
This blog post is intended to provide an overview of the various statutory and regulatory obligations
It is no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has had some type of impact on many people’s mental health. On October 10, 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized World Mental Health Day, and this year’s theme is “Mental health care for all: let’s make it a reality.” The past 18 months have brought forth
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,
During these unprecedented times, it is likely that employees may be utilizing various forms of protected leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and California Family Rights Act (CFRA). Some employees may be tempted to work remotely during their leave, perhaps to catch up, to stay ahead, or to offset the amount of time
Last week, we published several special bulletins covering COVID-19. Below are short summaries and links to the updates published since our last COVID-19 round up.
We will continue providing these special bulletins and updates as needed. Please visit https://www.lcwlegal.com/responding-to-COVID-19 for the most up-to-date bulletins.
This Special Bulletin was written by Heather DeBlanc and Amit Katzir.
Notice 2019-63 extends the deadline under the Affordable Care Act for applicable large employers to furnish individuals with a Form 1095-C for 2019. The new due date is March 2, 2020, but the IRS will not consider further extensions. The new March 2 deadline
Employers and employee organizations are often looking for new, creative ways to expand, streamline, or restructure employees’ health benefits. Starting in January 2020, employers may offer two different health reimbursement arrangements (“HRA’s”) to their current employees. Typically, employers offer HRAs for retirees through collective bargaining agreements but do not offer them for current employees because