Many employee benefits are subject to annual dollar limits that are periodically increased for inflation. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced cost-of-living adjustments to the annual dollar limits for various welfare and retirement plan limits for 2019. Although some of the limits will remain the same, many of the limits will increase for 2019. The annual limits for the following commonly offered employee benefits will increase for 2019: High deductible health plans (HDHPs) and

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) imposes a dollar limit on employees’ salary reduction contributions to health flexible spending accounts (FSAs) offered under cafeteria plans. This dollar limit is indexed for cost-of-living adjustments and may be increased each year. On Nov. 15, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Revenue Procedure 2018-57 (Rev. Proc. 18-57), which increased the FSA dollar limit on employee salary reduction contributions to $2,700 for taxable years beginning in 2019. It also

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) is the first comprehensive data privacy law in the United States. Beginning Jan. 1, 2020, the CCPA generally grants consumers the right to: Know what personal information is being collected and sold or disclosed about them, and to whom it is sold or disclosed; Say no to the sale of their personal information; and Equal service and price, even if they exercise their privacy rights. The CCPA applies to

More than 14 people a day died while doing their jobs in 2016, highlighting the need for safety and procedural enhancements at their workplaces. Employers are starting to embrace new technology, such as the following, in an effort to improve worker safety: Exoskeletons—Workers can wear exoskeletons to transfer weight from repetitive tasks and use less energy when moving objects. The result is a reduced risk of injuries as well as increased strength, dexterity and productivity. 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued a memorandum that reinterprets how its 2016 anti-retaliation rule applies to workplace safety incentive programs and drug testing policies. Issued on Oct. 11, 2018, the memorandum eases some of the restrictions in OSHA’s previous enforcement guidance on the final rule. In that guidance, OSHA indicated that certain types of programs and policies would likely be considered violations if they involved specified circumstances.   The new memorandum

As we celebrate the New Year, I want wish everyone success, a healthy long life and a fresh new start. Happy New Year!