On July 21, 2023, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a new version of Form I-9. Employers are required to use this form to verify that their employees are authorized to work in the United States and should begin using the new form Aug. 1, 2023. Some of the changes to this updated version […]
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) is a new law going into effect June 27, 2023 at the federal level for employers in the public and private sectors with 15 or more employees. The PWFA requires employers to: Engage in an interactive process with employees to evaluate reasonable accommodations; Explicitly extend protections to “qualified employees” […]
The National Emergency was ended April 10, 2023 and the Public Health Emergency is set to end May 11, 2023. This means that many of the deadlines around COBRA, HIPAA special enrollment, and other benefit deadlines will be begin to resume. Another key date to note is July 11, 2023 which is the DOL clarified […]
Recently the state has provided some additional updates around the WA Cares Fund. If you live in another state but work in WA, the state of Washington has opened an exemption application as of January 1, 2023. It includes a few additional cases where someone may be able to apply for an exemption. Beginning Jan. […]
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is ending its temporary COVID-19-related policy of allowing employers to use expired List B identity documents (including driver’s licenses and state ID cards) for I-9 purposes. The temporary policy was instituted by the Department of Homeland Security in May 2020 due to the fact many issuing authorities were […]
On March 11, 2022 the state of Washington amended laws around wage payments. Beginning June 9, 2022 there is a new employer requirement in regards to dishonored paychecks due to nonacceptance or nonpayment. Current Washington law requires that wages must be paid in lawful U.S. currency by using cash, check (must be convertible into cash […]
On January 27, 2022 Governor Inslee signed HB 1732 and HB 1733, House Bills which provide changes to the WA Cares Fund initiative. HB 1732 delays the WA Cares Fund tax until July 1, 2023, and WA Cares Fund benefits will be available beginning July 1, 2026. It also allows those nearing retirement (born prior […]
As of January 15, 2022, insurance plans need to cover the cost of over-the-counter (OTC) at-home COVID-19 Tests. For most individuals with health insurance the cost of these tests must be covered, even if they are obtained without the involvement of a health care provider. Health plans and issuers must cover the costs of COVID-19 […]
The start of a new year can bring about changes to state and federal laws, new regulations and so much more. For 2022 the state of Washington has an increase to the WA PFML tax rate which began January 1, 2022. In 2021 the Paid Leave premium was 0.4% of an employee’s gross wages (pre-tax, […]
On December 17th, Governor Inslee’s office released a statement declaring a delay in the Washington Cares Fund RCW 50B.04 premium assessment, specific dates were not provided. What does this mean to employers? The assessed premiums scheduled for deduction on January 1st, 2022 from all employees working at least 12.5 hours per week, will be postponed […]
Now that we are reaching the end of the Open Enrollment period the State established, it is time to encourage employees to access the waiver process by logging into https://wacaresfund.wa.gov/apply-for-an-exemption and follow the steps to opt out. The ability to OPT out began October 1st at 9:00am. Those wanting additional information on the exemption can […]