By: Alan M. Levy On September 18, 2013 the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued Technical Release 2013-04 to address ERISA rights for same-sex spouses after the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Windsor, 133 S. Ct. 2675 (2013), invalidated parts of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Largely consistent with the equivalent discussion […]
By: John E. Murray and Samantha J. Wood In June 2013, the United States Supreme Court invalidated the federal law defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. That decision complicates the administration of FMLA leave for multi-state employers and employers in states (like Wisconsin) which have not recognized same-sex marriages. For […]
By: Alan M. Levy On October 1, 2013 the Wisconsin Court of Appeals held that Milwaukee County could eliminate the reimbursement of Medicare Part B premiums for employees who had not retired before that modification took effect on April 1, 2011. Reversing the decision below, the Court held that the Supreme Court’s decision in Loth […]
By: Laurie A. Petersen and Samantha J. Wood On August 27, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) announced a Final Rule that makes changes to the regulations implementing the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. These changes are intended […]
By: Alan M. Levy Every employer subject to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) is obligated to notify each of its employees of health insurance coverage options effective January 1, 2014. This notice must be provided by October 1, 2013 or, if later, at the time of the employee’s hiring. The U.S. Department of […]
By: Daniel Finerty Governor Scott Walker recently signed the 2013-2015 biennial budget bill, which was enacted as 2013 Wisconsin Act 20 (“Act 20”). Act 20 makes substantial changes and amendments to Wisconsin’s unemployment insurance law. This E-Alert summarizes the Act 20 changes. Initially, it is important to note that these statutory changes are currently in […]
By: Daniel Finerty Wisconsin legislation was recently introduced in the State Senate and Assembly, Senate Bill 223 and Assembly Bill 218 (generally, “legislation”), respectively, limiting employer access to, and observation of, an employee’s social media accounts. Because Wisconsin does not currently have any law expressly regulating employers in this area, the legislation was introduced in […]
By: Oyvind Wistrom Last week, the United States Supreme Court decided two highly anticipated Title VII employment cases, with both coming as significant victories for employers. Both decided by narrow 5-4 majorities, the first case distinguish between supervisors and coworkers for the purpose of vicarious liability under Title VII harassment claims. The Court held that […]
By: Alan M. Levy A major element of the Affordable Care Act (the “ACA,” a/k/a “Obamacare”) is the prohibition against denying coverage due to a pre- existing condition or otherwise discriminating in coverage, premium cost, or benefits because of an individual’s health condition. “Wellness programs” typically seek to incentivize a healthy lifestyle by rewarding organized […]
By: Daniel Finerty The 2013 – 2015 Biennial Budget bill currently in front of the Joint Financial Committee now includes Motion #506, which was passed yesterday by a vote of 12 – 4. Motion #506 contains a number of substantial amendments to the provisions of Wisconsin’s unemployment insurance (“UI”) law that are commonly cited by […]