COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Updates: CobraHelp will continue to deliver service excellence and compliance support to our Clients and their Employees during these challenging times. We are working to provide Employers and Agents with the latest legislative updates on a national level. We encourage Employers, Benefits Administration partners and Insurance Agents to learn more about the most recent COVID-19 DISASTER RELIEF updates (the American Rescue Plan Act) here. 
  • Home
  • About
    • Testimonials
  • Services
    • COBRA Administration
    • State Continuation Administration
    • Retiree (Direct) Billing
    • Leave Management (FMLA & LOA)
  • Resources
    • How COBRA Works
    • How Brokers Benefit with CobraHelp
    • Employer FAQ
    • Broker FAQ/Help
    • Blog
    • ARPA COBRA Premium Subsidy
    • COVID-19 & COBRA
    • HR Tools
  • Contact
800.398.2946​
LOGIN Request a Proposal​
  • Home
  • About
    • Testimonials
  • Services
    • COBRA Administration
    • State Continuation Administration
    • Retiree (Direct) Billing
    • Leave Management (FMLA & LOA)
  • Resources
    • How COBRA Works
    • How Brokers Benefit with CobraHelp
    • Employer FAQ
    • Broker FAQ/Help
    • Blog
    • ARPA COBRA Premium Subsidy
    • COVID-19 & COBRA
    • HR Tools
  • Contact

THE HR, BENEFITS, & COMPLIANCE BLOG

READ: How Brokers Can Cultivate Lasting Client Relationships

Subscribe to The COBRA Advisor newsletter for fresh HR insights, law updates, and more.

Subscribe

Where We’re At With the COVID-19 Crisis

5/5/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
As the current COVID pandemic lockdown continues to affect not only our everyday lives, but US businesses, many employers are faced with the tough decisions regarding temporary or permanent layoffs.... 
...​or significant cuts to employee hours, if they haven’t done so already. Considering the unprecedented situation caused by the Coronavirus, employers and employees alike have been scrambling to adjust and stay on top of all the new developments as they come to light. However, with so much information floating around in the news and on the internet, it can be difficult to sift through it all and determine what is accurate and what is not. It is no different when it comes to labor laws and employee benefits. Which is why we are here to help. We previously touched on the state of COBRA during this COVID pandemic in a previous post, but here we’ll give an update on some of the developments that have happened since the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was pushed through. 
​Paid Sick Leave
In addition to the CARES Act, the US government passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which also incudes the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act. The FFCRA was enacted, among other things, to provide funding for free coronavirus testing, increase funding for food stamps, and it requires certain employers to provide employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19. For companies with 500 or fewer employees, the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act and the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act provides paid emergency family leave in limited circumstances, as well as paid sick leave for people affected by COVID-19. Those emergency expansion acts went into effect April 1, 2020 and will cover eligible leaves up until December 31, 2020. 
The DOL release an in-depth FAQ on the laid leave acts that can be viewed HERE.
Picture
​Payroll Protection Program
As part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act allocated $350 billion to help small businesses keep workers employed amid the pandemic and economic downturn. The program is intended to provide small businesses with forgivable loans to keep workers employed during the COVID crisis. Known as the Paycheck Protection Program, the initiative provides 100% federally guaranteed loans to small businesses. Businesses that are eligible for the program include:
  • A small business with fewer than 500 employees
  • A 501(c)(3) with fewer than 500 employees
  • An individual who operates as a sole proprietor
  • An individual who operates as an independent contractor
  • An individual who is self-employed who regularly carries on any trade or business
As of this posting, however, the originally funds allocated for this program have already been exhausted. But fear not, on April 22nd the Senate approved an additional $310 billion in funding for the Paycheck Protection Program. If you think your company could benefit from the Paycheck Protection Program, you will need to complete the loan application and submit the application with the required documentation to an approved lender that is available to process your application by June 30, 2020. The application for the loan can be found HERE. 
Contact Us for Help!
​COBRA Continuation Coverage
As previously mentioned, we have already posted about how COBRA continuation coverage and the administration of COBRA has been affected during this COVID pandemic – with the short answer then being that there haven’t been any changes. That is still the case as of the posting of this article. That being said, with companies having to deal with employment decisions that they most likely weren’t planning on, there can be some confusion or uncertainty when it comes to COBRA qualifying events. For example, lay-offs and furloughs aren’t technically terminations, so are they COBRA qualifying events? The simple answer - similar to a reduction of hours qualifying event - is that if there is a loss of coverage, then it’s a COBRA qualifying event. If companies plan on keeping their furloughed employees on their health plans, however, it is advised that they first discuss the matter with their insurance carriers or stop loss providers as their plan’s eligibility requirements might not allow for coverage for employees who are not working. Companies can of course subsidize their COBRA participant’s COBRA premiums, either fully or partially, much like a severance agreement. With that though, it’s important to make sure any such agreements aren’t considered discriminatory under the Internal Revenue Code.
There are few changes on a federal level to extend grace periods of COBRA payments, which was released by the U.S. Department of Labor – EBSA Division and the IRS last week. See that announcement here and watch for upcoming posts as we’ll continue to keep updates coming your way.
 Whether the government eventually makes temporary changes to the COBRA law or they leave it status quo, CobraHelp will continue to stay on top of any new developments coming from Washington and we will be sure to update our clients and partners accordingly.  

​Learn more about the new laws impacting national employee benefits administration here

Legal Disclaimer:
​The information in this website is provided for general informational purposes only, and may not reflect the current law in your jurisdiction. No information contained in this post should be construed as legal advice from CobraHelp. or the individual author, nor is it intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter. No reader of this post should act or refrain from acting on the basis of any information included in, or accessible through, this Post without seeking the appropriate legal or other professional advice on the particular facts and circumstances at issue from a lawyer licensed in the recipient’s state, country or other appropriate licensing jurisdiction.

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    2016 Cobra Reporting Deadlines
    ACA Benefits
    ACA Compliance
    Affordable Care Act
    Benefit Admin Solutions
    Cobra Administration
    Cobra Administration Companies
    Cobra Benefits
    Cobra Compliance
    Cobra Compliance 2016
    Cobra Compliance Audit
    Cobra Customer Service
    Cobra Eligibility
    Cobra Employer Requirements
    Cobra For Retirees
    Cobra Guidelines For Employers
    Cobra Non Compliance Penalties
    Cobra Retiree Coverage
    Cobra Rights
    Cobra Services
    Compliance Outsourcing
    Federal COBRA Regulations
    Health Savings Account
    Medicare Compliance Regulations
    Medicare Modernization Act
    Open Enrollment 2017

    HR Outsourcing Services Blog RSS Feed

    Archives

    September 2022
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    September 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014

CONTACT

COBRA Help
1620 N High St 
Denver, CO 80218

Toll Free: (800) 398-2946 
Local: (303) 322-2043
Email: ​cs@mycobrahelp.com ​
​© Copyright 1986-2022 CobraHelp.  All Rights Reserved
HTML Sitemap | XML Sitemap 
Terms & Conditions | Privacy

RESOURCES

​US Department of Labor
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
Quick Checklist
​For Insurance Agents
​
Career Opportunities
​Participant Login
Email: ​marketing@mycobrahelp.com

​RESOURCES

HR Compliance Tools
FAQ/HELP Brokers
FAQ/HELP Employers
Request Demo
Request Media Kit
​How COBRA Works
​COVID19 Support

​RESOURCES

Connect with us!