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Colorado Businesses May be Forced to Pay Increased Premium Rates

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 22:04:24 +0000

Can employers be forced to offer health insurance to their employees? The answer seems to be yes. Last year, a law mandating health coverage for all took effect in Massachusetts, ...

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Health Coverage for Most

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:47:49 +0000

When thinking about what type of benefits are important, it starts to become obvious that health insurance coverage is one of the top employee benefits to offer. According to a ...

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Retirement Account Penalties After Age 70

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 23:59:10 +0000

If you offer your employees a 401(k) plan, here�s something else you should let them know. Anyone who does not withdraw money from their retirement account by age ...

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Keeping Up with Compensation

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:15:15 +0000

While employee benefits are truly appreciated by employees, sometimes it really does come down to compensation. With a sinking American economy, it can be tempting to cut raises for the ...

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Pay What You Weigh

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:44:05 +0000

Well, it's not exactly pay what you weigh, but officials in Alabama are cracking down on obesity by adding a sort of penalty on health insurance. This comes in response ...

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Health Care Costs Up 10% for 2009

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:03:34 +0000

It�s inevitable. Health care costs are rising. But just how much are they rising? According to a recent study by Aon Consulting Worldwide, health insurance costs this year will rise ...

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Rising Employee Benefit Costs Hitting Governments

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:49:46 +0000

With employee benefits costs going up, companies are revaluating what�s important, and making cuts and shifting costs as necessary. Usually this is limited to private companies, but with costs increasing ...

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Disability and Fraud

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 23:01:04 +0000

What happens when you slip and fall and are no longer able to do your job? Normally in this situation, if you are unable to return to work, you�d file for short term disability. And that�s just what Albert Arroyo, a Boston firefighter did. According to his physician�s records, Arroyo was �totally and permanently disabled� and could qualify for departmental pension.

Yet a video surfaced a couple months later, showing Arroyo competing and placing in the top 10 in the Pro Natural American Championships bodybuilding competition. How can someone who is unable to work and qualifies for short term disability compete and place well in a physical competition, using the same skills they�d use on their job?

With short term disability, there are no legal requirements similar to FMLA, that prohibit employers from prying into employees� lives to find out whether they indeed qualify for that benefit. Short term disability coverage should require a reputable physician�s note saying the employee is unable to work. You can check on your employees but there�s a fine line between being concerned and becoming too intrusive. The latter can end up backfiring, especially if your employee is a valued one. It can also get back to other employees and make them mistrust management.

The good news is that if you do find an employee is taking advantage of their disability coverage, it�s fairly easy to get rid of them once you have proof. By adding a complete detailed description of what�s expected in the employee handbook, you can avoid further hassles down the line when the employee claim they weren�t informed. Unfortunately for the Boston Fire Department, they won�t have as easy a time getting rid of an employee who committed fraud, as they would if they were a private company.

Giving Employees Flex Time Can Help the Bottom Line

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 22:34:59 +0000

Common business sense says giving employees a flexible schedule to pursue personal issues and progress can hinder productivity. It�s thought that workers who work odd hours will pursue other interests ...

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Who Pays Disability?

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 21:55:26 +0000

Who pays for short term and long term disability insurance? If you�re an employer, it�s pretty much your choice. As an employer, you can opt to pay for your employee�s ...

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