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Compensation & Benefits

Does post-traumatic stress disorder qualify for workers’ comp benefits?

04/02/2019
Q. I’ve heard that the first responders we employ can receive workers’ compensation benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder. Is that true?

How can I keep track of overtime changes happening in Washington and Harrisburg?

04/02/2019
Q. I know the U.S. Department of Labor has just released a new proposed rule changing the weekly salary that employees must receive to be classified as exempt. But didn’t I also read a few months ago that Pennsylvania is also changing the salary level?

Philadelphia restaurants agree to pay $1M wage settlement

04/02/2019
The owners of two Philadelphia eateries apparently saw the writing on the wall after a trial on wage-theft charges began. They elected to settle the case before a jury had a chance to decide the matter.

Fired harasser can’t collect unemployment

04/02/2019
If you have a robust harassment policy that prohibits even a single incident of unwanted touching, rest assured that a fired harasser won’t be eligible for unemployment benefits.

Found errors in retirement accounts? By all means, go ahead and fix them

04/02/2019
Small employers don’t always get everything right when dealing with the complex rules governing employee retirement accounts. Making an honest mistake and then fixing it generally doesn’t violate the law.

No unemployment comp after bizarre threats

04/02/2019
Workers who are fired for willful misconduct are not eligible for unemployment compensation benefits. Breaking a rule against making threats or committing violence generally meets the requirement of willful misconduct as long as the employee knew or should have known about the rule.

Important questions and answers about the new overtime rule

04/02/2019
Last month’s much-anticipated overhaul of the salary threshold that determines when administrative, executive and professional employees are eligible for overtime pay means employers must now consider potential changes to their compensation plans. Here are some key Q&As from a new DOL fact sheet on the proposed change.

GOP bill would tap Social Security to fund paid parental leave

04/02/2019
Senate Republicans have introduced legislation that would let new parents draw against their future Social Security benefits to provide paid parental leave when they welcome a new baby or adopted child into their homes.

Federal court nixes Trump’s ‘association health plans’

04/02/2019
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled March 28 that a Trump administration effort to facilitate bare-bones health plans was an illegal violation of the Affordable Care Act and ERISA, the law that governs employee benefits.

Paycheck Fairness Act clears House of Representatives

04/02/2019
The House of Representatives has passed the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation first introduced in 1997 that would prohibit employers nationwide from asking job applicants about their past or current pay.