On April 19, 2024, the EEOC published its final rule regarding the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”). The PWFA requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified employees or candidates with a...more
As we have reported previously, on April 10, 2023 President Biden signed legislation ending the COVID-19 National Emergency. However, the rollback of COVID-19 requirements was already underway in many state and municipal...more
5/9/2023
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Health and Safety ,
Masks ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Public Health ,
Sick Leave ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
On October 19, 2022, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released an updated “Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal” poster that covered employers under federal law are required to prominently display...more
On July 12, 2022, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) – the agency which investigates and enforces federal antidiscrimination laws in the workplace – updated its guidance across several different areas...more
On March 14, 2022, the EEOC released new guidance regarding caregiver discrimination and the COVID-19 pandemic, in light of many workplaces returning to in-person work. The new guidance supplements earlier guidance regarding...more
3/16/2022
/ ADEA ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Caregivers ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
National Origin Discrimination ,
New Guidance ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Race Discrimination ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Title VII
On September 8, 2020, the EEOC released an updated technical assistance document addressing COVID-19 and the federal anti-discrimination laws enforced by the agency, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). Our...more
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) has released new informal guidance directed at employees regarding use of opioids and employer obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). The EEOC also...more
8/11/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Drug Testing ,
Drug Treatment ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) ,
New Guidance ,
Opioid ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Substance Abuse
As we have previously reported, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) continues to update its COVID-19 guidance. Most recently, on July 20, 2020, the DOL issued additional Q and A guidance related to COVID-19 and the...more
7/27/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Guidance Update ,
Hazard Pay ,
New Guidance ,
Non-Exempt Employees ,
Sick Employees ,
Telecommuting ,
Wage and Hour
Declaration of Coronavirus Pandemic by the World Health Organization -
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic regarding the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (also referred to as COVID-19, but...more
As the recent Coronavirus outbreak continues, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released guidance specifically for employers, outlining recommendations and best practices to protect their workplaces....more
2/11/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Business Travel ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Interim Guidance ,
OSHA ,
Public Health ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety ,
World Health Organization
News that multiple cases of the newly-identified 2019 Novel Coronavirus have reached the United States have prompted employers to think about employee safety and ways to address disease prevention in the workplace. Although,...more
1/29/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
General Duty Clause ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Workplace Safety ,
World Health Organization
Heeding the adage “no one knows what the future may hold,” the Seventh, Eighth and Eleventh Circuits have uniformly refused to extend protections of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to employees with a perceived risk...more
11/14/2019
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Appeals ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Disability ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Essential Functions ,
Future Impairment ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Split of Authority ,
Wrongful Termination
New York City’s new law requiring employers to engage in a “cooperative dialogue” with employees requesting reasonable accommodation and provide a written determination at the end of the cooperative dialogue process takes...more
10/16/2018
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Cooperative Dialogue ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Domestic Violence ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Interactive Process ,
New Rules ,
NYCHRL ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Discrimination ,
State Labor Laws ,
Undue Hardship
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has ordered the EEOC to reconsider its final regulations on the extent to which an employer may offer incentives to participate in a wellness program without violating the...more
8/23/2017
/ AARP ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
GINA ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Incentives ,
Irreparable Harm ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Self-Funded Health Plans ,
Wellness Programs
Editor’s Overview -
In 2016, we saw a considerable uptick in the number and variety of excessive fee lawsuits commenced against plan fiduciaries of defined contribution plans. We begin the year by taking a look at these...more
1/31/2017
/ 401k ,
403(b) Plans ,
AARP ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Benefit Plan Sponsors ,
Breach of Duty ,
Class Action ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Defined Contribution Plans ,
Dismissals ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Excessive Fees ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Adviser ,
GINA ,
Investment Funds ,
Irreparable Harm ,
Lifetime Health Benefits ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Reservation of Rights ,
Retirement ,
Retirement Plan ,
Revenue Sharing ,
Self-Dealing ,
Unions ,
Vesting ,
Wellness Programs
The EEOC is seeking public comment on proposed enforcement guidance addressing unlawful workplace harassment under the federal anti-discrimination laws enforced by the agency – namely, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of...more
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (Judge Bates) has denied AARP’s request to block the implementation of the EEOC’s final wellness regulations pending a decision on the merits. As we have discussed...more
1/3/2017
/ AARP ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Discrimination ,
Employee Benefits ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
GINA ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Incentives ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Wellness Programs
The EEOC has issued a new publication titled “Depression, PTSD & Other Mental Health Conditions in the Workplace: Your Legal Rights” aimed at informing applicants and employees with mental health conditions of their...more
This month we review a recent Second Circuit decision addressing ERISA plan status as a class member in a securities shareholder class action. As discussed in the article, the decision exposes a potential conflict among the...more
12/1/2016
/ AARP ,
Administrative Procedure Act ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Appeals ,
Best Interest Contract Exemptions ,
Budget Recollection Legislation ,
Class Action ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Dismissals ,
Due Process ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Fiduciary Rule ,
Filing Deadlines ,
GINA ,
Investment Adviser ,
IRS ,
National Association for Fixed Annuities (NAFA) ,
Preemption ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Presidential Elections ,
Repeal ,
Retirement Plan ,
Reversal ,
Securities Litigation ,
Shareholder Litigation ,
Slayer Statutes ,
Summary Judgment ,
Trump Administration ,
Wellness Programs
As we have previously discussed in detail in several blogs (New EEOC Regulations Provide Roadmap for Wellness Programs; EEOC Issues Final Rules On Employer-Sponsored Wellness Program Compliance Under the ADA and GINA; and...more
10/27/2016
/ AARP ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Group Health Plans ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Final Rules ,
GINA ,
Incentives ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
Wellness Programs
News that the Zika virus has reached the United States may be prompting employers to think more closely about employee safety and what steps should be taken to address disease prevention and management in the workplace....more
8/23/2016
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medical Examinations ,
OSHA ,
Pregnancy ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Traveling Employee ,
Workplace Safety ,
World Health Organization ,
Zika
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) has issued two final rules addressing employer-sponsored wellness programs’ compliance with Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and Title II of the...more
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) has released new guidance on unpaid leave as a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). The guidance, issued on May 9, 2016, makes clear...more
In a significant decision for all businesses that maintain an online presence, a California court recently ruled that a luggage retailer violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and California state law by failing...more
In Morriss v. BNSF Railway Company, the Eighth Circuit recently held that obesity that is not caused by an underlying physiological condition is not a covered “impairment” for purposes of the Americans with Disabilities Act...more