PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - DOL’s Guidance on Continued COVID-19 Timeframe Relief
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - COVID-19 Edition - Deadline Extensions Impacting HIPAA, COBRA and ERISA
What's Next for the Paycheck Protection Program? by Lindsey Berwick and John Wittenberg
In a significant development for employers and Haitian nationals under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has updated its guidance to reflect a court-ordered automatic...more
The Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”) has been on a journey this past month with a whirlwind of court rulings: halted by a federal district court, reinstated by the Fifth Circuit’s motions panel, had its reporting deadlines...more
In yet another twist, the CTA is again currently enjoined (for now). On Dec. 26, in a highly unusual chain of events, the merits panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the emergency stay granted by the motions...more
The National Labor Relations Board has announced that the effective date of its new “joint employer” final rule is postponed by two months. The announcement coincides with several legal challenges to the rule, previously...more
By the end of October, a temporary rule that has been allowing certain foreign nationals to receive an increased period of automatically extended authorization to work in the United States for the past year will expire – and...more
With the pandemic winding down, deadlines for employee benefit plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) will be resuming. Two different emergencies affect employer-sponsored group health plans:...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) again extended certain COVID-19-related flexibilities, this time through March 23, 2023. However, USCIS anticipates that this will be the final extension for these...more
On July 25, 2022, the flexibility period for responding to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requests and for filing forms I-290B and N-336 will expire. USCIS had previously stated in an announcement on March...more
Thanks to a new rule published yesterday, a broad group of nonimmigrant workers waiting for their employment authorization cards will have their temporary work authorizations extended for 540 days from their expiration date –...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced a Temporary Final Rule that will automatically extend the period of employment authorization up to 540 days beyond the expiration date of the Employment...more
In March 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement relaxed some of the I-9 compliance requirements because of the COVID-19 pandemic. One of these “flexibilities” ended this...more
I-9 flexibility is extended until October 31, 2022, due to continuing COVID-19 precautions. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) guidance remains the same and preparing for the possible end of the flexibility is still...more
The EEOC has announced on its EEO-1 Data Collection website that it has, again, extended the deadline for filing EEO-1 Reports this year—this time to October 25. Employers still rushing to finalize and upload their 2019 and...more
The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) published EBSA Disaster Relief Notice 2021-01 in the nick of time on February 26, 2021. EBSA Disaster Relief Notice 2021-01 was released...more
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently announced that the Expanded Collaborative Search Pilot (CSP) program, which was enacted in November 2017, has been extended to October 31, 2022. The Expanded CSP...more
On February 3, 2021, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) updated its frequently asked questions (FAQs) to make clear that employers can seek an extension for reporting year 2020 - known as a...more
In March, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security allowed more flexibility for employers seeking to verify documentation for I-9 forms. The DHS has now extended that flexibility for...more
As if business owners did not have enough to worry about in light of various deadlines of all types including when and whether to submit Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loan applications, how to account for the use of the...more
Prior to January 17, 2020, extensions of time were readily available during Canadian trademark prosecution. A single six-month extension could be secured without providing any substantive reasons. Further six-month...more
The IRS has not yet finalized the ACA reporting forms (i.e., the 1094-B/C and 1095-B/C) for the 2019 tax year, so it is no surprise that the IRS issued guidance this week extending the deadline to furnish the forms to...more
If you are scrambling to comply with the new California sexual harassment training requirements, we have some good news: with some exceptions, employers have another year to put those plans in place. Under prior law, which...more
On October 10, 2019, Governor Newsom signed AB 51 and AB 9 into law. These two worker-friendly laws may require employers to review and revise current policies and procedures relating to employment-related claims....more
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has instituted a new compliance activity which could surprise the unprepared employer who has hired a recent graduate on Optional Practical Training (OPT). The site visits are...more
What used to be a routine request – asking the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for an extension of time when responding to a charge of discrimination or harassment and assuming extra time would be granted –...more
Pursuant to New York Civil Practice Law and Rules § 306-b, a plaintiff is required to serve a summons and complaint within 120 days of commencing an action. Although a court may grant an extension of this deadline for good...more