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Insurance

Health insurance maintained during FMLA leave

08/01/2007

Q. We have an employee who is out on an FMLA leave of absence. Our company provides health insurance for its employees and their families, and employees pay 20% of the premium. Our employee has not paid his share of the premium. Should we cancel his health insurance? We are very nervous about doing so because the employee has a very serious health condition. — J.B.

Check accuracy of workers’ comp calculations to avoid penalties

08/01/2007

Georgia employers who make mistakes when calculating workers’ compensation benefits can’t go back more than two years to recoup overpayments …

Workers’ comp applies when fellow employees hurt each other while working

08/01/2007

Employment-related injuries are covered by workers’ compensation even if those injuries may have been caused by the negligence of a fellow employee. Employees who are hurt can’t sue the other employee directly; they must make a claim with their employer’s workers’ compensation insurer. As a practical matter, that means employers will bear the brunt of any injury …

Relocating the office? Employees can sometimes quit and get unemployment

08/01/2007

Pennsylvania employees who quit their jobs when their employers move can sometimes collect unemployment compensation. The Unemployment Compensation Board of Review looks at individual situations and determines whether the move forced the employees to quit for “necessitous and compelling” reasons. Examples include a longer, more expensive commute or disruption of child care routines …

Accepting early retirement doesn’t mean automatic unemployment

08/01/2007

To streamline the work force, some employers encourage early retirement and may even include an inducement in the form of enhanced benefits. But unless the employer informs the employee her job is endangered unless she signs up, the employee is probably not eligible for unemployment compensation …

Double dipping workers’ comp and Social Security

08/01/2007

Q. Can an injured worker obtain both workers’ compensation benefits and Social Security disability benefits at the same time? …

Legislature passes ‘Play or pay’ benefits bills

07/20/2007

California’s legislature is moving forward on two “play or pay” bills that would require employers that do not offer cafeteria health plans to their workers to pay into a state-run health plan purchasing pool …

Employee stops, pops, scores workers’ compensation claim

07/01/2007

A compliance officer for Abbott Laboratories, headquartered in Chicago, will receive workers’ compensation for injuries he sustained during a basketball competition at an annual company festival …

Strange days indeed: Company argues for workers’ comp coverage

07/01/2007

An appeals court ruled that the estate of Miguel Pena, a setting machine operator shot and killed by a fellow employee at Gutmann Leather in Chicago, may proceed with a wrongful death suit …

Senate bill to help employers avoid health care penalties

07/01/2007

State Sen. David Koehler introduced an amendment to the state’s “Illinois Covered” universal health care bill …