Two workplace posters, as required by the State of FL, have recently been updated.
The Florida Unemployment Insurance poster has been updated to reflect a new name from the Unemployment Compensation Program to the Reemployment Assistance Program. The agency has also been renamed to reflect the same.
Additionally, the new FL Minimum Wage poster, that goes into effect January 1, 2013, has been released.
Please contact our office for copies of either poster.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the agency that has enforcement responsibility over the Fair Credit Report Act (FCRA), revised the forms that employers must use to comply with the FCRA effective January 1, 2013. There was only one problem with the forms the CFPB originally provided for use: they contained various typos and technical errors that the CFPB has now recognized and corrected.
The forms that were issued include:
The good news for those employers who have already transitioned to the forms that were published in December 2011, the CFPB says it will regard the use of the originally published model forms, typos and technical errors notwithstanding. For employers that have not yet started using the new FCRA forms, make sure you use the newly corrected one available.
Please contact our office for a copy of the new FCRA forms.
Beginning in 2013, employee pre-tax contributions to a flexible spending account (FSA) will be limited to $2500. In the past, companies could impose their own limits on these employee contributions.
The limit applies based on your cafeteria plan’s plan year. It is first applicable to plan years beginning in 2013. For the majority of companies, this means it will become effective January 1, 2013 and the open enrollment materials for 2013 have to be changed to incorporate the limit.
If the cafeteria plan utilizes the 2 ½ month grace period that allows for a carryover of amounts, these carryover amounts do not reduce the $2500 limit.
Any company contributions made to the cafeteria plan- so called “flex credits”- are not subject to any limit and do not count towards the $2500.
The $2500 is indexed for inflation, like so many other limits on benefits.
The cafeteria plan has be amended no later than December 31, 2014 to reflect the new limit.
Please be sure to consult with your current Section 125 administrator regarding updating your plan document to reflect the new FSA limit or contact our office regarding setting up an FSA account or amending your document.
When the effects of domestic violence reach into the workplace, employers need to address it as promptly and aggressively as they would address any other safety hazard. At the same time, domestic violence is unlike any other safety hazard. While many victims of domestic violence commonly exhibit some of Susan’s behaviors described above, such as concealing or lying about injuries, erratic attendance, and work performance issues, they are not always easy to recognize. Similarly, perpetrators of domestic violence typically act out in private; in public settings, perpetrators may just seem overly protective of their partners or spouses.
Courtesy of Fisher & Phillips LLP
Our payroll stuffer this month will focus on the important topic of Diabetes Awareness. It covers topics imporant to your employees such as:
For the full version of this document, please contact luann@visitaag.com.
Thank you.
Many employers prohibit off-duty employees from accessing the workplace. This is particularly true of employers in the hospitality, healthcare, and manufacturing industries, where there is a premium on ensuring guest, patient, and employee health and safety. Recently, the National Labor Relations Board issued yet another decision striking down an employer’s off-duty employee access policy, finding the policy unlawfully interfered with the right of employees to engage in protected concerted activity.
True or False: When asked to give a reference for a terminated employee, you should provide only the person’s name, dates of employment, and if asked, salary level?
TRUE!
Furnish just about any other information and (assuming it is negative) the former employee could sue your company for, among other things, defamation.
For the full article, visit the Fisher & Phillips LLP website
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) requires group health plans to distribute four-page plan summaries to enrollees. These Summaries of Benefits and Coverage (SBCs) are subject to a “culturally and linguistically appropriate” standard, meaning that when the SBC is distributed to an enrollee at an address in a county where, according to the federal government, at least 10% of the citizens are fluent only in the same non-English language, the summary must include a prominent offer of language assistance in that non-English language.
The topic for this month focuses on various auditing procedures including auditing your company files, new hires, and terminations. This month’s topic is courtesy of Jackson Lewis LLP.
Do YOU know what files should and should not be maintained in employee personnel files?
Please contact us directly for more information.
This holiday season we have decided to make a difference in the Central Florida community. We have teamed up with Community Partnership for Children, a 501©(3) not-for-profit agency who serve children and their families.
AAG has "adopted" 20 children, who are in group or foster homes. Each child was given the opportunity to place a wish for 3 holiday gifts and we hope, with your help, to make each of these wishes come true. All unwrapped gifts must be collected no later than December 3rd for delivery to Community Partnership for Children.
Please contact our office if you, or your company, would like to help spread the holiday spirit this year! All gifts are tax deductible and we can provide you with a reciept for tax purposes.