The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently added nine new answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) to its existing guidance on how employers should comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other fair employment laws while also observing all applicable emergency workplace safety guidelines during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Guidance for Employers
The new FAQs address mandatory workplace vaccination programs and the restrictions that federal fair employment laws place on them. In general, employers may require employees to receive COVID-19 vaccinations as long as they provide reasonable accommodations for employees who refuse to take the vaccine for medical or religious reasons.
The EEOC’s new FAQs generally clarify, among other things, that:
• Employers may require employees to receive COVID-19 vaccinations;
• Employers that require vaccinations may need to provide accommodations, or show that an unvaccinated employee would pose a direct threat;
• Vaccination-related questions from employers must be job-related and consistent with business necessity; and
• Any medical information obtained in the course of a vaccination program must be kept confidential.
Employers with 15 or more employees should become familiar with and follow the guidance provided in all of the EEOC’s FAQs about ADA compliance, and employers should ensure that they comply with state and local anti-discrimination laws as well.
While the COVID-19 vaccine is not yet available to the general public, employers should begin to plan for when there is broader access.
Driving HR Efficiencies With Technology
Improving workplace efficiency is about helping employees work smarter, not harder. HR professionals spend much of their everyday time and energy managing the following tasks:
• Employee information
• Payroll, including time sheets and paid time off (PTO) requests
• Employee benefits
These tasks are necessary, but often tedious. However, technology can help improve workflows—allowing HR to focus time and energy on value-added efforts like talent strategy, employee engagement and change management.
Technology Applications
The following are examples of how workflows can be revamped with automation and software:
• Having new hires complete and sign onboarding paperwork electronically can often reduce paperwork, improve accuracy and allow stakeholders to stay informed.
• Offering an employee self-service system (ESS) can allow employees to freely complete tasks such as accessing W-2s, managing benefits, submitting PTO requests, updating personal information and taking care of employment-related tasks—which can reduce the burden on HR.
• Using software to manage employee information can simplify processes such as collecting employees’ confidential information for retrieval at a later time, while reducing the risk for errors from manual data entry.
The feasibility of implementing HR technology will be unique to each organization, but employers can consider how these initiatives can address current pain points. For more information on HR technology, contact Deutsch & Associates, LLC. Read More

Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. In fact, 1 in every 4 deaths is caused by heart disease.
Heart disease refers to several different types of heart conditions. Coronary artery disease—caused by plaque buildup in the walls of the heart’s arteries—is the most common. Other forms of heart disease include heart attack, heart failure, arrhythmia and congenital heart defects.
The symptoms of heart disease can vary, and some people may not even know they have a heart condition until they have a heart attack. Red flags include shortness of breath, chest discomfort, difficulty with speech, heart palpitations and sudden loss of responsiveness.

Take Control of Your Heart Health
There are certain uncontrollable factors that increase your risk of heart disease, including age, sex and family history. However, other factors that increase your risk for heart disease—such as stress, inactivity, obesity, diabetes, smoking and a poor diet—are controllable.
A healthy diet and lifestyle are your best methods to fight heart disease, so consider incorporating these three kinds of exercise into your routine to improve your heart health:
1. Aerobic exercise improves circulation and can help your cardiac output. Try to get at least 30 minutes a day of heart-pumping moderate activity—like brisk walking, dancing or cycling—at least five days a week.
2. Resistance training with weights, resistance bands or body weight at least two nonconsecutive days per week can help create leaner muscle mass. When paired with aerobic activity, you can raise your good cholesterol levels and lower bad cholesterol levels.
3. Flexibility workouts, like stretching and balance, are critical for musculoskeletal health. It’s important to stay flexible and joint pain-free so you can maintain your regular aerobic and resistance workouts.
Keep in mind that it’s the overall pattern of your life choices that determines your heart health. Contact your doctor to find out your risk for heart disease, or for more information.

Dealing With Job Burnout During the Pandemic
Common job stressors include heavy workload, lack of work-life balance and job security concerns. If left unaddressed, burnout—which is chronic, unchecked stress—can have serious consequences for your health, social life and career. Burnout can also increase your risk of getting sick.
Dealing with stress is a normal part of everyday life, and these uncertain times may be elevating your overall stress levels even more. Consider the following ways to cope with job burnout:
• Evaluate and discuss your options. Be open with your manager, and discuss job expectations or suggest taking on different responsibilities.
• Seek support. Talking with trusted co-workers, friends and family can help. Also, check if you have access to an employee assistance program.
• Try a relaxing activity. Explore mindful activities—like yoga, meditation or breathing exercises—to take a break and focus on how you’re feeling.
• Check in on your physical health. It’s important to get plenty of sleep to tackle each day. Create a plan to exercise more and eat healthier foods.
If all else fails, you may need a change of scenery. Start small by moving your remote workspace or, if possible, sitting in a different spot in the office. If you’re experiencing burnout, talk to your manager or mental health professional.

Don’t Delay Preventive Care
The once-a-year checkup has been considered a standard of health care, but many people may be putting off routine appointments during the pandemic. Preventive care allows health care providers to detect diseases or medical problems before they turn serious. Preventive care includes physical and mental health screenings, cancer screenings, annual checkups and immunizations.
Telemedicine makes it possible for you to talk to a doctor about your health, receive a prescription and obtain treatment recommendations from the comfort and safety of your home. Telemedicine shouldn’t be used for emergency care situations, but can be a great way to stay up to date on preventive care. Your physical and mental health are important, so don’t put it on the back burner.
While many major health plans cover telemedicine services, be sure to check your plan’s explanation of benefits to avoid any surprise costs. Read More

The coronavirus pandemic has changed what a normal day looks like for many across the country. And the pandemic has also increased the stress of many Americans.

Prioritizing mental health and well-being in the face of a pandemic, which has caused many to lose their jobs or work from home, is something that every single person should be doing, but it often falls by the wayside.

Maintaining your mental health during these uncertain times can be challenging, especially if you’re not sure how to get started. That’s where meditation can help. There are many different types of meditation to try, and you can see its positive effects after a few minutes.

What is meditation?

Meditation is an activity that can calm your mind and keep you focused on the present. In a meditative state, you can clear your mind of cluttered thoughts and memories. Studies even show meditation is effective in controlling anxiety, enhancing the immune system and reducing conditions such as high blood pressure, substance abuse and chronic pain. There are numerous kinds of meditative techniques, but concentrative, mindful and transcendental are the most common.

• During concentrative meditation you focus your attention on a single sound, object or breathing pattern to bring about a calm, tranquil mind.
• During mindful meditation, you keep your mind aware, but you do not react to sensations, feelings or images going on around you.
  • During transcendental meditation, you put your body at full rest but keep your mind fully alert, bringing about a deep state of relaxation.

  How to Practice Meditation

  There are countless ways that you can practice meditation. And, during the coronavirus pandemic, many meditation apps are offering discounted or free memberships to help you lower your stress during these uncertain times.

  Mastering meditation takes practice, but getting started is easy and takes just minutes of your time. Try these two quick mindful meditation techniques next time you’re feeling stressed.

  • One-minute relaxation breathing—Close your eyes and take a deep breath in for a count of four, and then exhale for a count of eight. Repeat five times.
  • Five-minute body scan meditation—Sit or lay down in a comfortable position and take a few moments to find a calm, steady breath. Bring your awareness to sensations in your body, where you will spend several slow breaths on each focal point beginning with the left toes and all the way through the left hip. Repeat on the right side. From there, follow the same process through your torso, arms and up through your head.Tips for Successful Meditation

    If you’re new to meditation, it can be tricky to get started. Keep the following tips in mind to have a successful meditation session:

    • Schedule a meditation session like an appointment—Blocking off time will help you plan for meditation. And it will communicate to others in your house that, during that specified time, you need to be alone so that you can focus on meditating.
    • Find a designated meditation spot—Find a quiet place in your home where you can meditate. It should be separate from where your workspace may be. As you continue with meditation during the pandemic, your brain will begin to associate this special area with meditation, and you’ll subconsciously begin to relax when you’re in this space.
    • Use noise-canceling headphones—Chances are, you might not be able to have total silence in your home when you go to meditate. This is especially true if you have children or pets at home, or live with roommates. Try wearing noise-canceling headphones whenever you meditate so that you can focus on your meditation.
    • Don’t get discouraged—Meditation takes practice, and it can take a few days or even weeks to successfully incorporate it into your life. If you’re not able to sit through a full session of meditation, don’t get discouraged. Keep trying and, soon enough, you’ll be able to regularly meditate.

    Get Started Today

    Meditation can help you lower your stress, which is essential for maintaining your mental health during the coronavirus pandemic. Use the tips discussed above to get started today. Read More

Enacted on Dec. 27, 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA) includes a $900 billion coronavirus relief package that provides funding to individuals and businesses.
The CAA also includes benefits and tax provisions affecting employers, group health plan sponsors, health benefits brokers and health insurance issuers. Some provisions are currently effective, while others begin on future dates.
The CAA provisions impacting employers and group health plan sponsors include the following:
• Health and dependent care flexible spending accounts (FSAs)—For plan years ending in 2020 and 2021, the CAA allows employers to extend the grace period to 12 months after the plan year, and permit employees to carry over unused amounts to the next plan year.
• Surprise medical billing—As part of the CAA, the No Surprises Act will prohibit doctors, hospitals and air ambulances from billing patients who have health coverage for unpaid balances. Rather, providers will have to negotiate with plans or issuers to determine the appropriate payment under the plan.
• Health care transparency—The CAA bans gag clauses in contracts between providers and health plans that prevent cost or quality of care information from being available. The CAA also requires brokers and consultants to disclose any compensation they may receive for referral of services, and requires group health plans to report information on plan medical costs and prescription drug spending.
• Mental health parity—The CAA includes provisions that strengthen enforcement of existing mental health parity laws and increase transparency regarding how health plans are applying these laws.
• Retirement plans—The CAA modifies the current partial plan termination rules to ensure that termination does not occur if the active participant count as of March 31, 2021, is at least 80% of the number of active participants covered by the plan on March 13, 2020. The CAA also provides an exception to the 10% early retirement plan withdrawal penalty for qualified disaster relief distributions.

ACA Reporting Deadlines in 2021
Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting under Section 6055 and Section 6056 for the 2020 calendar year is due in early 2021. Specifically, reporting entities must:
• File returns with the IRS by March 1, 2021, since Feb. 28, 2021, is a Sunday (or March 31, if filing electronically); and
• Furnish statements to individuals by March 2, 2021.
Originally, individual statements were due by Jan. 31, 2021.
However, IRS Notice 2020-76 extended the furnishing deadline.
Notice 2020-76 does not extend the due date for filing forms with the IRS for 2020. It also provides additional penalty relief related to furnishing forms to individuals under Section 6055. As a result, employers may only have to furnish Form 1095-B to employees upon request, in certain cases. Read More