Business and Government Working
Together
for a Stronger Iowa
Next State ECI Board
Meeting Date:
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
10:30 AM - 1:30 PM Iowa Association
of Community College Trustees Building
855 East Court Avenue, Des Moines -
Map
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
released an updated version of its Health Benefits Advisor
for Employers. This online resource outlines the federal laws that
can affect health benefit coverage provided by group health plans.
The Advisor explains the legislation, statutes and regulations in
Parts 6 and 7 of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security
Act of 1974 (ERISA). These laws include:
• Consolidated Omnibus Budget
Reconciliation Act (COBRA)
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
• Mental Health Parity Act (MHPA) and Mental Health Parity and
Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA)
• Newborns' and Mothers' Health Protection Act (Newborns' Act)
• Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA)
• Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)
• Michelle's Law
You may access the updated Health Benefits Advisor for Employers
from the DOL web site at:
http://www.dol.gov/elaws/ebsa/health/employer/
The Health Benefits Advisor for Employers is one of a series of
elaws (Employment Laws Assistance for Workers and Small Businesses)
Advisors developed by DOL to help employers and employees understand
federal employment laws and resources. To access all of the elaws
advisors, visit the elaws Web site at
www.dol.gov/elaws. To learn
more about DOL’s efforts to assure the security of the retirement,
health and other workplace related benefits of America’s workers and
their families, visit
www.dol.gov/ebsa.
***
Department of Labor Online Interactive
Advisor Offers Updated Information on Family and Medical Leave Act
The U.S. Department of Labor recently released an updated version of
its
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Advisor. This online
resource helps clarify which employers are required to provide FMLA
leave as well as which employees are eligible to take such leave. In
addition, it outlines valid reasons for leave and employer and
employee notice requirements and other responsibilities under the
law.
The Family and Medical Leave Act is a Federal law that entitles
eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid,
job-protected leave for specified reasons with continuation of group
health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if
they had not taken leave. Examples of specified reasons include
caring for a newborn or recently adopted child or a family member
with a serious health condition, or an employee’s own serious health
condition.
The Family and Medical
Leave Act (FMLA) Advisor was developed by the U.S. Department of
Labor’s
Wage and Hour Division. Itis one of a series of elaws (Employment Laws
Assistance for Workers and Small Businesses) Advisors developed by
DOL to help employers and employees understand federal employment
laws and resources. To access it, visit the
elaws Web site at
www.dol.gov/elaws.
A Resource for Small Employers
from the Great Plains ADA Center
ADA in the Workplace is a website designed specifically
for managers and owners of small and mid-sized businesses. The website
is easy to navigate and provides information and links to resources on
all ADA related employment issues. Bookmark this site and never hunt for
ADA information again. ADA in the Workplace provides information in
clear, straightforward language so you can easily determine your
employment obligations under the ADA. This site will also keep you
posted on new resources, EEOC settlement agreements, and other
activities that effect employment in clear, user-friendly language.
Please visit,
http://www.adaintheworkplace.org.
Engaging Employers in Protecting Young Workers: Tips and Best
Practices from the Young Worker Safety Resource Center is a guide
that provides strategies to increase employers' knowledge and
capacity to prevent workplace injuries among their young workers.
The 24-page booklet includes safety messages for employers,
descriptions of potential partners for reaching employers, and
strategies that have been used to reach employers, including
specific examples.
http://lohp.org/docs/pubs/youth_work/ProtectingYoungWorkers.pdf
A 2010 Legislative change requires payors of income to submit child
support payments through electronic transmission. The use of electronic
funds transmission is a faster and safer way for payors of income to
make payments. Since the payments are not sent through the U.S. mail,
payments are received timely and provide a stable payment frequency for
families receiving the support. To learn more about electronic
transmission of payments, click on the link for the Employers Partnering
in Child Support (EPICS) Unit. www.iowachildsupport.gov
The Jobs Accommodation
Network (JAN) offers a number of webinars on making changes in the
workplace for those needing accommodations, plus what products are
available to assist employers.
Webinar presentation materials can be found at
http://askjan.org/webcast/index.htm plus other training materials
that JAN offers is available for viewing at this web site.
***
The Great Plain ADA Center
serves the State of Iowa by providing information and assistance
regarding the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) at not cost to any
interested party, including employers.
From the Great Plains ADA
Center in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the passage of the
landmark civil rights legislation, the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Think Beyond the Label is
committed to making the business case for employing people with
disabilities. We are a partnership of health and human service and
employment agencies with federal grants, coming together to build a
uniform national infrastructure and approach that connects businesses to
qualified candidates with disabilities. Our goal is simple: to raise
awareness that hiring people with disabilities makes good business
sense. Employees with disabilities have unique, competitively relevant
knowledge and perspectives about work processes, bringing different
perspectives to meeting work requirements and goals successfully. Hiring
someone who “thinks outside the box” might be thinking too small when
there’s an opportunity to hire someone who lives outside the box.
Health & Disability Advocates (HDA), is a national nonprofit
organization that promotes income security and improved health care
access for children, people with disabilities, and low-income older
adults. HDA is spearheading the Think Beyond the Label campaign on
behalf of more than 40 states and various national and regional
organizations by serving as its fiscal agent.
The Employer’s Disability
Resource Network (EDRN) partners can provide technical assistance,
information, resources, and training to help businesses effectively
recruit, hire and retain qualified employees. EDRN can also provide
consultation and resources to create a welcoming environment for
applicants and employees with disabilities by assuring that facilities
are accessible. In addition, EDRN can customize training to fit your
needs.
These resources not only assist employers in building a diverse
workforce, but they can also enhance a business’ services to customers
with disabilities.
The Campaign for Disability
Employment is a collaborative effort to promote positive employment
outcomes for people with disabilities by encouraging employers and
others to recognize the value and talent they bring to the workplace.
http://www.whatcanyoudocampaign.org/blog/index.php/what-can-employers-do/
New FMLA Regulations Released by
U.S. Department of Labor
The U.S. Department of Labor
published final Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) rules on Monday,
November, 17, 2008. The new rules will become effective January 16,
2009.
Federal officials said highlights of the revised rules include, among
others:
Military Caregiver Leave:
Implements two previously announced new benefit extensions for
military family benefits;
Serious Health Condition: Retains
the current six individual definitions of “serious health
condition,” but clarifies when “periodic visits to a health care
provider” must be made;
Notice Obligations: Clarifies and
strengthens the employer notice requirements to employees to ensure
employees are informed of their FMLA rights and obligations and
similarly tightens requirements for employee’s obligation to provide
FMLA notice to their employers.
The 21st century economy demands a
workforce with postsecondary education credentials and the adaptability
to respond immediately to changing economic and business needs.
Registered Apprenticeship is a critical postsecondary education,
training and employment option available in every state in the country.
An Integration Program To Educate, Promote, Train, Target and Partner...
Iowa Workforce Development and its Board of Directors
worked in partnership with the Employers’ Council of Iowa to contact a
random sample of local employers across all industrial classifications
and employment ranges to provide information on the benefit packages
offered by businesses in the State of Iowa. The information gathered
provides a detailed analysis of employer-provided benefits.
Consequently, this information will assist businesses, community
leaders, and workers to make better informed decisions on expansion
initiatives, community development projects, and job offerings.
Who We Are
Iowa's
Employers' councils are groups of employers who work in partnership with
Iowa Workforce Development to meet the workforce needs of employers. They
provide an employer perspective in advising IWD and other policy makers on
the full range of workforce issues and topics of concern to employers. The
special role of the state level Employers' Council is to help gather and
disseminate information about the activities of local councils, and to
represent the local councils at the state and federal levels.
Our Mission Statement
The
mission of the Employers' Council of Iowa is to support the efforts of
local employers committees to:
Advise
Iowa Workforce Development, legislators, and other officials
concerning its products, services, and policies that affect employers;
and
Provide
opportunities for employers to exchange information and develop
education programs for employers.
