For many healthcare employers, phase one and phase two COVID-19 vaccine deadlines are either here or quickly approaching. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), in an exercise of enforcement discretion, has begun monitoring covered CMS provider and supplier types for implementation of COVID-19 staff vaccination requirements in accordance with the COVID-19 Healthcare Staff Vaccination
Barbara Grandjean
Barb represents employers and employees inside and outside the courtroom. She frequently consults with employers regarding workplace issues, such as hiring, discipline and terminations, privacy and social media matters, medical and non-medical leave matters, reductions in force, executive employment, wage and hour matters, and employment handbooks, policies and training
ACGME Mandates Paid Resident/Fellow Leave, Starting Day One
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), which accredits graduate medical residency and fellowship programs, will require programs to offer six weeks of paid leave for residents/fellows, beginning on the first day of their ACGME-accredited programs. ACGME’s amended Institutional Requirements (effective July 1, 2022) require Sponsoring Institutions (those that administer ACGME-accredited residency/fellowship programs) to have policies for resident/fellow leaves that:
CMS Interim Final Rule: Hard Vaccine Mandate for Healthcare Facilities
On November 4, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an advance copy of the Interim Final Rule (IFR) related to COVID-19 vaccines for most of the entities covered by applicable Conditions of Participation, Conditions for Coverage or Requirements for Participation.
Roundtable: Religious Exemptions and Vaccine Mandates in Healthcare
Thursday, September 30, 2021
Live Webinar | 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. CDT
REGISTER NOW
Healthcare employers have been implementing vaccine mandates—hard mandates, soft mandates, and everything in between—for some time now. The religious exemption requests, however, are piling up. Join Husch Blackwell attorneys who have experience addressing the myriad issues involving religious exemptions, including federal law, state laws and “right of conscience” laws. Stick around for questions and answers and hear other human resources leaders in healthcare share their experiences.
Legal Considerations and Future Vaccine Mandates—How to Prepare for the Federal Vaccine Mandate
Did you miss some of the webinar, want to review some of the material or have a colleague who missed the program? The webinar recording is now available for viewing at your convenience. Simply register using the following link and you will have access to the recorded webcast. https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/3418654/CFE58C2AEF93EDB2894F6D043A5D5422?mode=login&email=priscilla.murray@huschblackwell.com
Long COVID as a Disability under Federal Anti-Discrimination Laws
On July 26, 2021, the White House issued a press release marking the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and announcing the publication of new guidance and resources dedicated to assisting disabled individuals, including individuals with long COVID, which entails new or recurring symptoms experienced by some individuals infected with COVID-19 that can last for months after the individual is first infected, even if the initial infection was mild. Due to the “persistent and significant” health issues presented by long COVID, the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) published guidance to explain the application of federal disability laws to individuals suffering from long COVID. The federal government also published a compilation of resources, some of which apply to employers, regarding accommodations for workers suffering from long COVID.
Digital Spaces as Places of Public Accommodation
If asked, most companies would wholeheartedly agree that accessibility for all customers and potential customers is good for business. Barb Grandjean and Jackie Coffman discuss Digital Spaces as Places of Public Accommodation for ABA Law Practice Today: https://lnkd.in/eknUjNB
U.S. District Court Denies Injunction of Colorado Equal Pay Law
Last week, in the case of Rocky Mountain Association of Recruiters v. Moss, Case No. 1:20-cv-03819 (U.S.D.C. Colo.), U.S. District Judge William J. Martinez denied a plaintiff’s request for a preliminary injunction to block portions of Colorado’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Act (EPEWA). The EPEWA, which went into effect beginning this year, aims…
Whiplash: Is a New FFCRA on the Horizon?
On Thursday, January 14, 2021, President Biden’s administration announced its proposed $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus relief plan: “The American Rescue Plan” (“Plan”). The Plan contains wide-ranging support for those affected by the pandemic. Notably, the Plan proposes to require all employers of any size to provide paid leave and to significantly extend the required paid…
UPDATED | FAQs: Colorado’s Equal Pay Rules for Job Posting and Pay Transparency
Colorado’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Act (EPEWA) goes into effect January 1, 2021, and the Division of Labor Standards and Statistics within the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment adopted final regulations on November 10, 2020, regarding equal pay transparency. Since our last update, on December 18, 2020, the Division issued its Interpretive Notice and Formal Opinion #9 (INFO #9) in yet another effort to provide clarity around the job posting and pay transparency provisions of EPEWA. These provisions have generated the most questions from human resource and internal legal teams. Below we have revised and updated our earlier FAQs to provide the most up-to-date guidance in a single resource.