The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) continue to issue details on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).  The past 10 days has brought several changes of interest to employers: Eligibility Waiting Periods Affects all plans, whether fully insured, self-funded or grandfathered.  Applies to all sizes of employers, as of the start of the 2014 plan year The agencies have issued proposed regulations that state that an eligibility waiting period cannot be more than 90 days.  This literally is 90 calendar days — a plan that…

Here are pictures from the March 21st awards gala honoring the Best 50 Women in Business, as selected by NJBIZ. Honored during the event was AxisPointe’s own, Aida Visakay! View Pictures

As rising health care costs take their toll on traditional benefits offerings, voluntary options are emerging as a “win-win” situation for employers and employees alike. While voluntary benefits, in which employers pay little or nothing toward the cost of coverage, may seem like a downgrade compared with traditional employer-paid benefits, experts say many employees prefer having more choices through voluntary options and appreciate employers’ help in securing the best choices. Employers are beginning to view voluntary benefits as a key component to their efforts to build a happier and more loyal workforce. Higher deductibles and increased cost sharing are starting…

On Wednesday, March 27th at 1:40 pm, Aida Visakay will be Bert Baron’s guest on “New Jersey TODAY”. Tune in to find out what employers need to know for 2014, when Health Care Reform will require that nearly all American Citizens and residents to purchase qualified health insurance. This interview can be heard live on WCTC 1450 AM Talk Radio – The Voice of Central Jersey. If you are not able to access the station, tune in and listen live over the internet: http://www.wctcam.com/listen/.

The U.S. Department of Labor has released revised model Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) forms to administer federal FMLA leave and a notice poster. The updated forms should be used by employers immediately, although they include no substantive revisions despite recent rulemaking on the FMLA military caregiver leave provisions (see our article DOL Publishes Final Regulations Addressing Military Family Leave Provisions). The new forms expire on February 28, 2015. Following are links to the revised model forms: WH-380-E Certification of Health Care Provider for Employee’s Serious Health Condition WH-380-F Certification of Health Care Provider for Family Member’s Serious Health…

An annual survey by the Center for Professional Excellence notes that the perceived professionalism of entry-level workers by their managers has slipped during the past five years with about 45% of those polled saying their employees’ work ethic has worsened. Respondents cited a “too-casual” view of work, workers not being self-starters, and a “lack of ownership in one’s work”. The survey reflects an emerging trend that poses a tough challenge to HR professionals: how to encourage “milennials” to adapt and succeed within a company’s business culture. The federal government in the past few weeks has kept up the fast pace…

WHAT IS MY STATE DOING WITH EXCHANGES, MEDICAID UNDER PPACA?   States have two major decisions to make with respect to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) — whether they will run the health exchange themselves, and whether they will expand Medicaid to cover most individuals whose income is below 133 percent of the federal poverty level. Exchange Election Beginning in 2014, all states will have a health exchange.  If a state chooses not to run an exchange, the federal government will run the exchange for the state. An exchange run by the federal government for a state…

The Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published its long-awaited final privacy and security regulations (“Final Rule”) under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) on January 25, 2013. The Final Rule becomes effective March 26, 2013, and, in general, covered entities and business associates are required to comply by September 23, 2013. The Final Rule addresses four key areas: (i) changes made by the Health Information for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH Act”); (ii) the HIPAA enforcement rule; (iii) updates to the data breach notification regulations; and (iv) changes made by…

In the new issue of Employee Benefit Advisor, Aida Visakay was a contributor to the article, The New Age of EAPs. To read the full article, here is a direct link. Feel free to read the article and browse through the rest of the magazine by following the link.

Aida G. Visakay has been named one of New Jersey’s 2013 Best 50 Women in Business. The award program, produced by NJBIZ, New Jersey’s premiere business news publication, is sponsored by Wells Fargo, WithumSmith+Brown, PC, Comcast Business Class, and Wolff & Samson PC. The Best 50 Women in Business awards program honors New Jersey’s most dynamic women in business that have been making headlines in their field. To qualify, a nominee had to meet selection criteria that included living or working in New Jersey and holding significant authority for decision making in her company. An independent panel of judges selected…