We all know that agency regulations can be informative guidance but, by their nature, extremely detailed and—let’s face it—dry as toast.  The new disability regulations, which went into effect on December 30, 2012, are no exception.  

As the March 15 corporate tax filing deadline approaches, California’s small businesses need to know they may qualify for an important health care tax credit available under the Affordable Care Act.

The Small Business Health Care Tax Credit provides a credit equaling up to 35 percent of the health insurance premium costs that a small business incurred for insuring its employees. The credit is designed to help small businesses and tax-exempt organizations that primarily employ moderate and lower-income workers either maintain existing coverage or offer health insurance to their employees for the first time.

Certified Public Account and tax expert Conrad Davis, Crowe Horwath LLP, explains that more businesses need to be made aware of this benefit of the law aimed at small employers.

“Right now the credit is underutilized,” Davis said in an interview with CalChamber News. “The studies show that not as many businesses that are eligible are participating.”

According to a recent study, more than 375,000 small businesses in California are eligible for health insurance tax credits for a total value of more than $1.8 billion.

Small employers that pay at least half of the premium for employee health insurance coverage may be eligible for the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

CalChamber News has the full story, including more details on which employers qualify for the tax credit.

Today, March 8, 2013, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a revised Form I-9 for use in verifying employment eligibility. All employers are required to complete a Form I-9 for each employee.

The USCIS stated that the revisions to the form include: 

The new minimum wage of $10 per hour in San José goes into effect on March 11, 2013.

The Minimum Wage Ordinance requires covered employers to pay covered employees a minimum wage of $10.00 per hour for work performed within the City of San José. The ordinance also mandates that, beginning on January 1, 2014, the minimum wage will increase annually if there is an increase in the Consumer Price Index issued by the United States Department of Labor each year.

City officials published detailed information about the new minimum wage for employers and employees on this San José webpage, including an updated frequently asked questions document about the new requirements.

According to the city’s Office of Equality Assurance, the Minimum Wage Ordinance covers:

The California Chamber of Commerce identified the first “job killer” bill of the year. SB 626 (Beall; D-San Jose) severely undercuts the recent workers’ compensation reform deal agreed to by labor unions and employers.

The bill proposes dramatic cost increases for California employers and would leave them worse off than before the reforms of last year were enacted. 

SB 626 eliminates the entire balance of the deal and would erase hundreds of millions of dollars in projected savings. Specifically, SB 626 would roll back reforms dealing with timely, high-quality medical treatment and a more predictable, and less litigious, permanent disability system.

HR Informant will continue to add legislation to the “job killer” list throughout the year as bills are amended or new language is introduced.

For the complete story, please visit this CalChamber Top Story. For more information on past job killers, please visit CalChamber’s Job Killers page.

Daylight saving time is set to start Sunday, March 10. This will make for many a cranky worker next Monday morning, and lots of grumbling about needing extra coffee.

For most people, the time shift means adjusting various clocks around the house that aren’t smart enough to adjust themselves and losing an hour of beauty rest. 

But people who work the graveyard shift might lose something else. What should employers know about timekeeping practices for workers whose shifts are affected by the time change?

The Wall Street Journal’s At Work blog recently covered research showing that hiring and dating may not be that far apart.

The study, conducted by the Kellogg School of Management, found that hiring managers approached the candidate evaluation process in a manner that resembles selecting romantic partners.

Employers who need to apply for H-1B visas for foreign workers in specialized skill areas should start getting ready. U.S. businesses typically use the H-1B program to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations, such as science, engineering or computer programming.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin accepting H-1B petitions subject to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 cap on Friday April 1, 2013.

A Detroit nurse out on Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave for a back and leg injury was fired after Facebook posts showed her vacationing in Mexico. Her doctor certified the need for her leave due to substantial lifting and mobility restrictions. But several Facebook posts showed the nurse in Mexico riding in a boat; lying on a bed holding up two bottles of beer.

She also posted other details about her life that seemed inconsistent with her leave, including pictures of herself holding her grandchildren while standing (one in each arm), details about trips to Home Depot, “watching” the grandchildren and taking online classes.

HRInformant previously reported that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued important new regulations expanding federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) protections. 

The new regulations require a mandatory change to the federal FMLA poster entitled Employee Rights and Responsibilities Under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

To clarify any confusion employers may have, the new FMLA regulations (and the FMLA posting requirement) do not affect you if you are a private-sector employer with less than 50 employees.

The FMLA applies only to the following covered employers: