HR & Employee Issues

MAY 2020 DEVELOPMENTS:

• CDC Issues Guidance to Reopen Businesses, Health Care Facilities and Providers, Schools, Transit and Other Industries

• Connecticut Updates FAQs on State’s Response to COVID-19

• New OSHA Guidance for Recording COVID-19 Cases at Work

• EPA Proposes First Ever Rule to Improve Transparency of Guidance

• DOL Issues Final Rule Permitting Use of Non-Salary Compensation Under the Fluctuating Workweek Pay Method

• COVID-19 Alert: Businesses Must Submit a Self-Certification Prior to Reopening on May 20

• NLRB Division of Judges to Resume Unfair Labor Practice Hearings in June

• DOL Clarifies Entitlement to Additional $600 in Partial Unemployment Context

• OSHA Issues Guidance for Nursing Home and Long-Term Care Facility Workers 

• Office of Federal Contract Compliance Announces August 2020 Deadline to Implement New Disability Self-ID Form

• EEOC Delays EEO Date Collections Due to COVID-19

• CDC Updates FAQs for Business on COVID-19 Procedures

• CDC Issues Guidance on Preparing to Reopen Workplaces, Businesses, and Schools after COVID-19 Shutdown

• CDC Discusses Issues for Employers to Consider When Deciding on Reopening

APRIL 2020 DEVELOPMENTS:

• Is a Global Pandemic a De Minimis Hardship? EEOC Guidance on COVID-19 and Religious Accommodation

• White House Issues Guidelines for Opening Up America Again

• EEOC Provides FAQs Regarding COVID-19 and the Workplace

• FDA Issues FAQs on Diagnostic Testing for COVID-19

• CT DOL Issues Unemployment Insurance FAQs for Employers

• CT DOL Issues Unemployment Insurance Filing Questions for Workers

• CT DOL Issues Paid Sick Leave and Other Absences FAQs

• CT DOL Issues Wages and Hours FAQs

• CT DOL Issues FMLA FAQs

• CT DOL Issues Federal Unemployment Insurance Stimulus Program FAQs

• DECD’s Mandatory Safe Workplace Rules for Essential Employers, April 21, 2020 Update

• Connecticut DOL Issues Over $230 million in Benefits to Connecticut Residents with Continued Automation Programming

• United States Office of Personnel Management Issues Summary of Statutory and Regulatory Requirements in Connection with the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act

• Connecticut Updates Mandatory Mask Rule in Effect for Essential Workplaces and Stores

• Retail FAQs During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• OSHA’s New COVID-19 Inspection Plan: What Employers Should Expect

• Connecticut Unemployment Insurance FAQs

• Governor Lamont Announces Implementation of New System That Will Significantly Speed Up Unemployment Claims During COVID-19 Emergency

• Managing the Notice and Documentation Requirements Under the New Paid Sick and FMLA Leave Law

• What Can You Do to Help Your Employees Through This Crisis?
  

• What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws

• FFCRA Regulations

• Connecticut Department of Labor Guidance for Employers and Employees (CT DOL) across a range of issues, including unemployment compensation, wage and hour, paid sick leave and other absences, family and medical leave, and more.

• Families First Coronavirus Response Act

• Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) Paid Leave Goes Into Effect April 1st
  • Notice Requirements in Effect Now (poster included here)

• New DOL Regulations for Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)
  

MARCH 2020 DEVELOPMENTS:

• Suspension of CT DOL's RESEA Program: The state Department of Labor is suspending the federal Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment work-search program effective immediately.
  • This program involves a more intensive process that mandates recipients of unemployment insurance go to the American Job Centers in person and receive one-on-one help.

• CT DOL anticipated serving 9,030 people this year. Suspending this program will reduce traffic in the centers and help limit in-person contact with the public. The agency still anticipates reaching its goal of serving 9,030 people this year.

• CT DOL Shared Work Program
  

• CT DOL FAQs for Workers & Employers
  • Unemployment Insurance
  • Paid Sick Leave & Other Absences
  • Wages & Hours
  • FMLA

• Effective 3.18.20, the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will close all branch offices to the public for the transaction of business. Employees will continue to assist in transactions that are completed online, through the mail, and by phone.

• DMV partners, including AAA and Nutmeg State Financial Credit Union will make independent determinations of whether to conduct license transactions.

• The DMV will also be offering a 90-day extension to Connecticut residents with expiring driver’s licenses, identification cards, and learner’s permits. There will be no late fees. This applies to credentials that expire between March 10, 2020 and June 8, 2020.

• United States Department of Labor (U.S. DOL), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

• OSHA Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19

• U.S. DOL, Wage & Hour Division Fair Labor Standards Act

• U.S. DOL Guidance:
  • Fact Sheets:
    • Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Employee Paid Leave Rights
    • Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Employer Paid Leave Requirements
  • Questions and Answers:
    • Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Questions and Answers
    • COVID-19 and the Fair Labor Standards Act: Questions and Answers
    • COVID-19 and the Family Medical Leave Act: Questions and Answers
  • Posters:
    • Employee Rights: Paid Sick Leave and Expanded Family and Medical Leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act
    • Families First Coronavirus Response Act Notice – Frequently Asked Questions
  • Field Assistance Bulletin:
    • Field Assistance Bulletin 2020-1: Temporary Non-Enforcement Period Applicable to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act

• Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Online Security Tips for Working from Home

• U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Allows Providers to Prescribe Controlled Substances Without an In-Person Medical Exam During COVID-19

• Connecicut State Department of Education (CSDE) Resources for Distance Learning

• CSDE Commissioner Cardona Announces Department is Seeking Federal Waiver to Suspend Assessments for the Current School Year

• Questions and Answers on Providing Services to Children with Disabilities During Coronavirus Disease 

• U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Pandemic Preparedness in the Workplace and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

• EEOC - What You Should Know About the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and COVID-19

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Guidance for Businesses and Employers

• Internal Revenue Service Filing and Payment Relief Deadlines Questions and Answers