As employers weigh their measure of response to COVID-19, the employers must recognize that The General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), 29 U.S.C. § 654(a)(1), requires employers to furnish each worker with “employment and a place of employment, which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm ...
On March 18, 2020, Governor Cuomo signed a bill to provide immediate assistance to New Yorkers impacted by COVID-19.The act provides paid and unpaid leave to employees “subject to a mandatory or precautionary order of quarantine or isolation issued by the state of New York, the department of health, local board of health, or any governmental entity duly authorized to issue such order due to COVID-19 ...
In IRS Notice 2020-17, the IRS extended the deadline for certain U.S. federal income tax payments due April 15, 2020 to July 15, 2020, up to certain limits depending on the taxpayer. IMPORTANTLY, as of now,this extension does not apply to the filing of any tax return or information return.All tax returns and information returns due on April 15, 2020 are still due on April 15, 2020 unless the due date is extended as provided by law ...
On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Act that aims to provide emergency supplemental relief to Americans affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.The Act, among other things, aims to provide such relief by addressing three employment-related areas: (1) emergency paid sick leave to employees, (2) emergency leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, and (3) support for unemployment insurance ...
As the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic continues, many public companies are examining how best to accommodate their upcoming annual shareholder meetings in light of complying with government orders and recommendations limiting public gatherings and non-essential travel. Accordingly, many corporate executives are now considering moving their annual shareholder meetings to a virtual or “hybrid” format in light of current public health and safety concerns ...
In IRS Notice 2020-18, the IRS extended the deadline for specified U.S. federal income tax payments and federal income tax returns due April 15, 2020 to July 15, 2020.IRS Notice 2020-18 supersedes IRS Notice 2020-17 which only extended the deadline for specified tax payments (see our prior coverage here). The extension applies to any person with a federal income tax payment and/or federal income tax return due April 15, 2020 ...
Regulators Expand Opportunities for Telehealth Services Under COVID-19 Shadow By: Phil Kim, Kayla Cristales, and Jennifer Kreick As the COVID-19 pandemic surges and the social distancing imperative continues, regulators have responded with various guidelines and policies that impact and expand the opportunities for telehealth services ...
As the COVID-19 pandemic surges and the social distancing imperative continues, regulators have responded with various guidelines and policies that impact and expand the opportunities for telehealth services.Telehealth, telemedicine, and related terms generally refer to the exchange of medical information from one site to another through electronic communication to improve a patient’s health ...
As COVID-19 continues to spread, CMS has issued guidance to various healthcare providers, including, among others, home health agencies, nursing homes, and hospitals that are caring for the nation’s most at-risk patient populations.The guidance is intended to curb transmission and ensure healthcare providers have the information and resources necessary to respond to patient needs ...
Amidst continuing COVID-19 concerns, regulators issued certain waivers of HIPAA requirements and penalties as well as additional guidance applicable during this public health emergency. HIPAA Enforcement Discretion for Telehealth ...
This morning, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York issued Executive Order No. 202 ...
The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), the Department of Treasury, and the Department of Labor (“DOL”) recently issued preliminary guidance on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA” or the “Act”) regarding (i) a temporary non-enforcement period during the first thirty (30) days of the Act; and (ii) more detail on how the employer payroll tax credit will work for the employer funding portion of the paid sick and child
In less than a week, SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that leads to COVID-19, has upended American lives and livelihoods.But while many are taking an unwanted break from business as usual, “essential businesses” are working overtime to rise to the critical call of keeping Americans healthy, safe, and fed while the nation shuts down and the virus spreads. First, each business must determine whether – and to what extent – it is essential ...
On March 22, 2020, several federal financial institution regulatory agencies and state banking regulators issued an interagency statement encouraging all financial institutions to work constructively with borrowers impacted by the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) ...
In a unanimous decision, the Texas Supreme Court held on March 20, 2020 that an insurance policy’s omission of an express duty to defend “groundless, false or fraudulent” claims does not preclude application of the Eight-Corners Rule. InJanet Richards, et al. v. State Farm Lloyds, No. 19-0802, ___ S.W.3d ___ (Tex ...
Seemingly overnight, flights and hotels emptied, and state and local governments began ordering restaurants, gyms, bars, and other “non-essential” businesses to close or to significantly curtail operations. Unemployment skyrocketed, and businesses began calling out for relief. In response, the government has proposed multiple initiatives to help stabilize businesses hit hard by current events, especially those in the hospitality industry, many of which are also franchises ...
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent agency of the federal government established to provide assistance and protection in the interest of small businesses. Among its funding programs, the SBA Disaster Assistance program provides low interest loans to help businesses and homeowners to recover from declared disasters – usually for events such as hurricanes or floods ...
Co-authored by MV Credit Partners LLP As the world watches the spread of COVID-19 across all continents, global economies are reacting to the impact and trying to foresee eventualities to mitigate the inevitable loss. There are some industries that will undoubtedly be more effected than others, and as with any economic crisis this will have a knock-on effect ...
The FDA revised its guidance on postmarket adverse event reporting for medical products and dietary supplements during a pandemic to apply the guidance to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The FDA acknowledges that companies, and the agency, itself, may be hit with workforce shortages during a pandemic at the same time that adverse event reporting for products deployed for the pandemic may increase ...
The U.S ...
The FDA issued immediately-in-effect guidance to accelerate the development of certain laboratory tests for the urgent need caused by SARS-CoV-2. The FDA provides recommendations, among others, for serological tests, puts forth a policy for states to take responsibility for tests, and announces enforcement discretion for commercial manufacturers using new commercially developed tests prior to the FDA granting an emergency use authorization, under certain circumstances ...
To help prevent disruptions in the food supply-chain during the COVID-19 pandemic, the FDA issued a temporary policy for Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) supplier verification onsite audit requirements. The policy states that the FDA will temporarily not enforce FSMA supplier verification onsite audit requirements if other appropriate supplier verification methods are used instead ...
As the world changes in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, many employers will be forced to consider restructuring workforces, closing facilities and other employment-related options. But despite the unexpected nature of these difficult options, employers must nonetheless be aware of their notice requirements under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) and state mini-WARN acts ...
In light of the recent economic developments stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, many employers are evaluating their employee benefit plans and how employee and employer costs will be impacted. The following summary provides a list of questions we have been receiving from clients over the past week, along with action items to help employers address these issues. Health and Welfare Plans and Fringe Benefits 1 ...
Having begun as a fairly localized issue in the centre of China, the COVID-19 outbreak has spread rapidly across borders, significantly impacting the global economy and causing havoc in financial markets. The impact has been across all sectors, from transport and tourism to manufacturing, technology, energy, retail and beyond ...
