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TABLE OF CONTENT
PART 1: WORKPLACE NEWS PART 2: INDUSTRY FOCUS NEWS PART 3: WAGE COMPLIANCE TRAINING EVENTS PART 4: SUBSCRIPTION RATE PART 5: ADVERTISE WITH US PART 6: WORKPLACE PUBLICATIONS PART 7: ABOUT US

PART 1: WORKPLACE NEWS

Affordable Care Act and the Health Care Cost Curve Employers Spend $28.89 per Hour for Employee Compensation in Dec. 2012 IRS-Enrolled Agent Debarred for Stealing DOL Recovers $3 Million in Back Wages, Damages for New Jersey Gas Station Attendants Fall Prevention Campaign: OSHA team up with Montgomery County Employees awarded More Than $243,000 in Race Harassment Case Expatriate Health Plans and Affordable Care Act- Stakeholders Input Sought USCIS Form I-9 Revised: Spanish Version for Puerto Rico Employers Only

Affordable Care Act and the Health Care Cost Curve Before the Affordable Care Act The rise in health care costs put access to health care coverage out of reach for many Americans. With many people no longer able to afford coverage, the cost of uncompensated care in hospitals

rose and those costs were passed along to people that could afford coverage. And, at the same time, health cares share of the nations economy was growing rapidly. Three years later, the health care cost curve is slopping downward. A new report shows that the health care law is helping to moderate premium hikes. Since this rule was implemented, the number of requests for insurance premium increases of 10% or more has dropped dramatically, from 75% to 14%. The average premium increase for all rates in 2012 was 30% below what it was in 2010. And available data suggest that this slowdown in rate increases has continued into 2013. Moreover, when an insurer does decide to increase rates, consumers are seeing lower rate increases than what the insurers initially requested. In the review of rate requests for 10% or more, over 50% resulted in customers receiving either a lower rate increase than requested or no increase at all. States have received $250 million in Health Insurance Rate Review Grants to help strengthen and improve their rate review processes thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Of the 44 states that received rate review grants, 40 have reported enhancements to their rate review websites. These website enhancements include searchable rate filings, new public comment options, live streaming of rate hearings, and plain language explanations of rate review and rate filings. The Effective Rate Review program is one of many in the health care law aimed at protecting consumers. The rate review program works in conjunction with the 80/20 rule, which requires insurance companies to generally spend 80% of premiums on health care or provide rebates to their customers. Insurance companies that did not meet the 80/20 rule have provided nearly 13 million Americans with more than $1.1 billion in rebates. Americans receiving the rebate will benefit from an average rebate of $151 per household. The law includes innovative tools to drive down health care costs. It incentivizes efficient care, supports a robust health information technology infrastructure, and fights fraud and waste. On Medicare/ Medicaid After decades of growing faster than the economy, last year, Medicare costs grew by only fourtenths of a percent per person, continuing the trend of historically low Medicare growth seen in 2011 and 2010. Major progress in Medicare is sparking smarter care in the private market, and its working to bring down costs in the private market. Overall health-care costs grew more slowly than the rest of the economy in 2011 for the first time in more than a decade. In reality, the law is fully paid for, and according to the independent Congressional Budget Office, the law reduces the deficit over the long term. The facts show that employers, patients and our federal budget cant afford to roll back the law now:

 Fully repealing the Affordable Care Act would increase the deficit by $100 billion over ten years and more than a trillion dollars in the next decade. It would also shorten the life of the Medicare Trust Fund by eight years. Health care spending grew by 3.9 percent in 2011, continuing for the third consecutive year the slowest growth rate in fifty years. Health-care costs grew slower than the rest of the economy in 2011 for the first time in more than a decade. The proportion of requests for double-digit premium increases plummeted from 75 percent in 2010 to 14 percent so far in 2013. Medicaid spending per beneficiary decreased by 1.9 percent from 2011 to 2012. Medicare spending per beneficiary grew by only 0.4 in fiscal year 2012.

Slower growth is projected to reduce Medicare and Medicaid expenditures by 15 percent or $200 billion by 2020 compared to what those programs would have spent without this slowdown, according to CBO. At the same time the law is driving down cost growth, the Affordable Care Act is strengthening coverage and expanding coverage. More than 34 million people with Medicare received a nocost preventive service. And, over six million Medicare beneficiaries received $5.7 billion in prescription drug discounts. Additionally, a final rule has been issued that implements five key consumer protections from the Affordable Care Act, including protection against denial of health coverage because of a preexisting condition. This rule makes the health insurance market work better for individuals, families and small businesses, and it also increases the transparency brought to rate increases by directing insurance companies in every state to file all of their rate increase requests.

Employers Spend $28.89 per Hour for Employee Compensation in Dec. 2012 Compensation data for December 2012 shows that private industry employers spent an average of $28.89 per hour worked for total employee compensation, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Wages and salaries averaged $20.32 per hour worked and accounted for 70.3 percent of these costs, while benefits averaged $8.57 and accounted for the remaining 29.7 percent. Total compensation costs for state and local government workers averaged $41.94 per hour worked. Total employer compensation costs for civilian workers, which include private industry and state and local government workers, averaged $30.84 per hour worked. Paid leave costs in private industry

Private industry employer costs for paid leave benefits in December 2012 averaged $1.98 per hour worked, or 6.9 percent of total compensation. Paid leave benefit costs by major private industry group were highest for the information industry at $4.12 per hour, or 8.9 percent of total compensation. Costs were lowest for the leisure and hospitality industry at 39 cents, or 3.1 percent of total compensation. Included in this amount were employer costs for vacations, holidays, sick leave, and personal leave. Paid leave benefit costs are often directly linked to wages; therefore, higher paid occupations or industries will typically show higher estimates for this compensation component. Employer costs for paid leave were primarily from vacation, holiday, and sick leave benefits. In December 2012, vacation costs averaged $1.03 per hour 3.6 percent of total compensation while holiday costs were 61 cents per hour 2.1 percent and sick leave costs were 25 cents per hour 0.9 percent. Paid leave costs varied widely by full-time and part-time status and bargaining unit status. Paid leave costs for all full-time workers in private industry were $2.52 per hour worked 7.5 percent of total compensation, significantly higher than part-time workers at just 42 cents, 2.8 percent. Paid leave costs for union workers were $2.82 per hour worked 7.1 percent of total compensation versus $1.90, 6.8 percent for nonunion workers. Legally required benefits costs in private industry The average cost for legally required benefits was $2.37 per hour worked in private industry 8.2 percent of total compensation. Social Security comprises the largest legally required benefit cost component at $1.36 per hour or 4.7 percent of total compensation. Legally required benefits such as Social Security and Medicare can be directly linked to wages; therefore, higher paid occupations or industries will typically show higher cost estimates for this compensation component. Costs for other legally required benefits include workers compensation, which averaged 41 cents per hour worked 1.4 percent of total compensation; Medicare, which averaged 33 cents per hour worked 1.2 percent; state unemployment insurance, which averaged 23 cents per hour worked 0.8 percent; and federal unemployment insurance, which averaged 3 cents per hour worked 0.1 percent. Employer costs for legally required benefits varied by major industry group. The average cost per hour worked for legally required benefits ranged from $3.45 for construction to $1.34 per hour for the leisure and hospitality industry. Workers compensation employer costs for construction industry workers were significantly higher than other major industry groups, averaging $1.12 per hour worked in December 2012.

Legally required benefit costs also varied by full-time versus part-time status and bargaining unit status. Legally required benefit costs for full-time workers were $2.62 per hour worked versus $1.65 for part-time workers. Legally required benefit costs were $3.34 for union workers and $2.28 for nonunion workers. Other benefit categories in private industry Private industry employer costs averaged $2.36 per hour worked for insurance benefits, life, health, and disability insurance, or 8.2 percent of total compensation. In addition to insurance, the other benefit categories were: retirement and savings defined benefit and defined contribution, which averaged $1.04 per hour worked 3.6 percent; and supplemental pay overtime and premium, shift differentials, and nonproduction bonuses, which averaged 82 cents per hour 2.8 percent.

IRS-Enrolled Agent Debarred for Stealing Enrolled agent Lorna M. Walker has been debarred by the Internal Revenue Services Office of Professional Responsibility for stealing a client's tax payments and for preparing tax returns with false deductions for multiple clients. Walker's enrolled agent status and her ability to prepare federal tax returns were revoked for at least five years. Walker practiced in the Seattle area. Making this known in Washington, Karen L. Hawkins, director of OPR said, Practitioners who disregard their responsibilities to the tax system and their clients can expect to hear from OPR. Any tax professional that steals from a client or causes them undue tax problems is unfit to practice before this agency." In a Final Agency Decision, the Administrative Law Judge, ALJ disbarred Walker for misappropriating client payments intended for the IRS in furtherance of an offer in compromise, and for preparing multiple returns containing Schedule C deductions for which she could not produce substantiation on audit. Walker was engaged to represent a taxpayer in a collection matter. The client gave Walker two money orders totaling $1,500 to forward to the IRS along with an offer in compromise for delinquent taxes. It was found by the ALJ that Walker altered, endorsed and cashed the money orders for her own personal use, which are acts of willful incompetent and disreputable conduct under Circular 230. The ALJ also found that Walker prepared Forms 1040 for seven clients claiming Schedule C deductions that were unsubstantiated and unsupportable. It was found that Walker failed to

exercise due diligence in preparing the Schedule Cs, thereby violating multiple due diligence provisions contained in Circular 230. Walker also failed to respond to the administrative complaint and the motion for default judgment. The ALJ determined that because Walker failed to respond either to the complaint or to the motion for default judgment, she was deemed to admit all the allegations in the complaint, and to not oppose the default motion.

DOL Recovers $3 Million in Back Wages, Damages for New Jersey Gas Station Attendants An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has found violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, FLSA by Daniyal Enterprises LLC and owner Waseem Chaudhary, and other companies owned and operated by Chaudhary. Wage and Hour Division investigators found that employees often worked up to 84 hours per week, without overtime pay. Instead, many employees were paid partly on the payroll and partly off the books, sometimes in cash, to disguise the improper payment of overtime. The employer also failed to maintain accurate records of the hours employees worked. The company has agreed to pay $2 million in overtime back wages and an additional $1 million in liquidated damages to 417 workers employed at 72 of Chaudhary's New Jersey gas stations. The department also has assessed $91,000 in civil money penalties against the employer because of the repeat and willful nature of the violations. Additionally, the employer has agreed to take proactive measures, including a three-year monitoring program at each gas station, to ensure future FLSA compliance. A consent judgment outlining the terms of the agreement between the Labor Department and the employer has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The three-year monitoring program will be supervised by an independent monitor who will report to the department. It will include the installation of biometric time clocks in each establishment; a notice to workers regarding the terms of the compliance agreement; FLSA training for all employees in English and other languages; an anti-kickback protection clause to ensure that all workers are paid any back wages due; and a toll-free telephone number for workers to report violations to the monitor.

Fall Prevention Campaign: OSHA team up with Montgomery County The leading cause of death in the construction industry is fall. In line with its mission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have teamed with the Montgomery County

Worker Health and Safety Commission to spread the word about preventing fatal falls in construction. With new posters on display in Montgomery County's public bus system, riders can learn about OSHA's nationwide Campaign to Prevent Fatal Falls in Construction, which is raising awareness about the hazards of working from heights in construction and the necessary steps to keep workers safe such as harness and lines for roof work. The posters direct riders to call 1-800OSHA or visit OSHA's Web page to learn more about the outreach campaign, which includes educational materials, training resources, local events and more. Posters went up on March 1, 2013, inside more than 200 buses across the county and will remain on display for several months. Montgomery County has a ridership of 30 million per year. For more information on the campaign and to see the new bus posters, go to www.osha.gov/stopfalls.

Employees awarded More Than $243,000 in Race Harassment Case A North Carolina federal court has awarded more than $243,000 injunctive relief against A.C. Widenhouse, Inc., a Concord, N.C.-based trucking company, in a race harassment and retaliation case, EEOC announced. According to the EEOC's lawsuit, Contonius Gill and Robert Floyd, Jr., African-Americans, worked as truck drivers for A.C. Widenhouse. From as early as May 2007 through at least June 2008, Gill was repeatedly subjected to unwelcome derogatory racial comments and slurs by the facility's general manager, who was also his supervisor, the company's dispatcher, several mechanics and other truck drivers, all of whom are white. The comments and slurs included the "N" word, "monkey" and "boy." Gill testified that on one occasion he was approached by a co-worker with a noose and was told, "This is for you. Do you want to hang from the family tree?" Gill further testified that he was asked by white employees if he wanted to be the "coon" in their "coon hunt." Floyd testified that he also was subjected to repeated derogatory racial comments and slurs by the company's general manager and white employees. Floyd testified that when he was hired in 2005, he was the only African-American working at the company. According to Floyd, the company's general manager told Floyd that he was the company's "token black." Floyd testified that on another occasion the general manager told Floyd, "Don't find a noose with your name on it" and talked about having some of his "friends" visit Floyd in the middle of the night. Gill repeatedly complained about racial harassment to the company's dispatcher and general manager and Floyd complained to an owner of A.C. Widenhouse, but both men testified that the harassment continued.

Gill intervened in the lawsuit and in addition to the EEOC's claim of racial harassment, Gill alleged that his employment with A.C. Widenhouse was terminated based on his race and in retaliation for complaining about racial harassment. The jury also returned a verdict in favor of Gill on both of his discriminatory discharge claims. Race discrimination, including racial harassment and retaliation for complaining about it violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed suit, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. A.C. Widenhouse, Inc., 1:11-cv-00498, in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina after first attempting to reach voluntary settlement. On Jan. 28, a Winston-Salem jury of eight returned a unanimous verdict finding that Gill and Floyd, Jr. had been harassed because of their race, and that Gill had been fired because of his race and in retaliation for complaining about racial harassment. In a judgment and injunction entered by the court on Feb. 22, the court ruled that the EEOC should recover $50,000 in compensatory and punitive damages on behalf of Floyd, and that Gill should recover $193,509 in compensatory and punitive damages, back pay, and pre-judgment interest. The court further enjoined A.C. Widenhouse from discriminating against any person on the basis of race or in retaliation for opposing practices unlawful under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The three-year injunction also requires A.C. Widenhouse to implement a written antidiscrimination policy; conduct training on Title VII to all employees and to all owners involved in the company's operations; post the anti-discrimination policy and a notice to employees regarding the lawsuit; and provide the EEOC with periodic reports regarding complaints about racial harassment. Lynette A. Barnes, regional attorney for the EEOC's Charlotte District Office said, "We are glad that the court saw fit to enter an injunction in this case. Among other things, the injunction mandates training for Widenhouse employees and owners involved in the company's operations. Education is the first step toward preventing racial harassment."

Expatriate Health Plans and Affordable Care Act- Stakeholders Input Sought The U S Department of Labors Employee Benefits and Security Administration EBSA recognize that expatriate health plans may face special challenges in complying with certain provisions of the Affordable Care Act. In particular, challenges in reconciling and coordinating the multiple regulatory regimes that apply to expatriate health plans might make it impossible or impracticable to comply with all the relevant rules at least in the near term. For example, independent review organizations may not exist abroad, and it may be difficult for certain preventive services to be provided or even be identified as preventive, when such services are

provided outside the United States by clinical providers that use different code sets and medical terminology to identify services. Further, expatriate issuers may face challenges and delays in communicating with enrollees living abroad, and, due to the complex nature of these plans, standardized benefits disclosures can be difficult for issuers to produce. Expatriate health plans may require additional regulatory approvals from foreign governments, and, in some circumstances, it is possible that domestic and foreign law requirements conflict. While the Departments gather further information and analyze these challenges to determine what actions may be appropriate regarding the current requirements under the Affordable Care Act, the Departments have determined that, for plans with plan years ending on or before December 31, 2015, with respect to expatriate health plans, the Departments will consider the requirements of subtitles A and C of Title I of the Affordable Care Act satisfied if the plan and issuer comply with the pre-Affordable Care Act version of Title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act. References to subtitles A and C of Title I of the Affordable Care Act also include the corresponding provisions imported into section 715 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act ERISA and section 9815 of the Internal Revenue Code. For purposes of this temporary transitional relief, an expatriate health plan is an insured group health plan with respect to which enrollment is limited to primary insureds who reside outside of their home country for at least six months of the plan year and any covered dependents, and its associated group health insurance coverage. This definition is also the definition of expatriate health coverage under 45 CFR 153.400(a) (1) (iii) during this temporary transitional period that is, for plans with plan years ending on or before December 31, 2015. Expatriate health plans must, as a condition of this transitional relief, comply with the preAffordable Care Act version of Title XXVII of the PHS Act and other applicable law under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code, including, for example, the mental health parity provisions, the HIPAA nondiscrimination provisions, the ERISA section 503 requirements for claims procedures, and any reporting and disclosure obligations under ERISA Part 1. The Departments note that coverage provided under an expatriate group health plan is a form of minimum essential coverage under section 5000A of the Internal Revenue Code. The Departments request comments on and information about the unique challenges that expatriate health plans may face in complying with provisions of the Affordable Care Act, including information about which particular types of plans face these challenges and with

respect to which particular provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Please send comments by May 8, 2013 to [email protected].

USCIS Form I-9 Revised: Spanish Version for Puerto Rico Employers Only U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services USCIS published a revised Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. The form is available for immediate use by employers. Employers who need to make necessary updates to their business processes to allow for use of the new Form I-9 may continue to use other previously accepted revisions until May 7, 2013 date. After May 7, 2013, all employers must use the revised Form I-9 for each new employee hired in the United States. The Spanish version of Form I-9 may be filled out by employers and employees in Puerto Rico ONLY. Form I-9 is used for verifying the identity and employment authorization of individuals hired for employment in the United States. All U.S. employers must ensure proper completion of Form I-9 for each individual they hire for employment in the United States. This includes citizens and noncitizens. Both employees and employers or authorized representatives of the employer must complete the form. On the form, an employee must attest to his or her employment authorization. The employee must also present his or her employer with acceptable documents evidencing identity and employment authorization. The employer must examine the employment eligibility and identity document(s) an employee presents to determine whether the document(s) reasonably appear to be genuine and to relate to the employee and record the document information on the Form I-9. The list of acceptable documents can be found on the last page of the form. Employers must retain Form I-9 for a designated period and make it available for inspection by authorized government officers. NOTE: State agencies may use Form I-9. Also, some agricultural recruiters and referrers for a fee may be required to use Form I-9. Employers should begin using the 03/08/13 dated form right away, older forms dated 02/02/09 and 08/07/09 will be accepted until May 7, 2013. After May 7, 2013, only the 03/08/13 will be accepted. The revision date is on the lower left corner of the form. Click here to download the revised version Employers should not file Form I-9 with USCIS or U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement ICE. Employers must have a completed Form I-9 on file for each person on their payroll who is required to complete the form. Form I-9 must be retained and stored by the employer either for three years after the date of hire or for one year after employment is terminated, whichever is later. The form must be available for inspection by authorized U.S. Government officials from the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Labor, or Department of Justice.

The Spanish version of Form I-9 may be filled out by employers and employees in Puerto Rico ONLY. Spanish-speaking employers and employees in the 50 states and other U.S. territories may print this for their reference, but may only complete the form in English to meet employment eligibility verification requirements. Click here to download the Spanish version Back to top

PART 2: INDUSTRY FOCUS NEWS

Safety Training Wellness Benefits Background Checks

Spectrum Training Services Offers New Workplace Safety Training for General Industry and Construction Workers Spectrum OSHA Training, Inc located in Chicago Surburb will now conduct 10-Hour and 30Hour OSHA Safety Training On-Site and Monthly in different locations throughout Chicagoland. OSHA requires that training be an essential part of every employer's safety and health program for protecting workers from injuries and illness. No matter what the job is, all industrial employees need to know seven essential things about safely performing their work: 1. Hazards. Employees need to know what could go wrong on the job and cause injuries. The employees need to be able to identify hazards and must know the steps to take to protect themselves against these hazards. The employees also need to know how to correct or report unsafe conditions that could lead to an accident. 2. Safety rules and regulations that apply to the job. Workers should thoroughly be familiar with all the safety and health rules that apply to the job. If there are OSHA regulations that apply to the employee's job as well, these should be explained so that employees understand what need to be done to ensure compliance.

3. Required job skills and knowledge. Employees must know how to perform the jobs properly. This means having the skills and knowledge required to do a good, safe job. 4. Required PPE. For any task where PPE is required, employees must understand how to select, inspect, use, and maintain PPE. They should also understand the limitations of PPE and what to do with damaged or defective PPE. 5. Safety controls. If engineering controls, like ventilation or machine safeguards, are required for employees to perform the job safely, then the employees need to understand when and how these controls should be used. Administrative controls, like permits for confined spaces or time limits for working in areas with airborne chemical hazards, should be understood and complied with. 6. Proper ergonomics. Most industrial jobs involve some ergonomic risks. Employees should understand these risks and the safe work practices required to prevent physical stress, strain, and musculoskeletal disorders. 7. What to do if something goes wrong. Employees should know what to do in emergencies such as fires, chemical spills, and accidents involving injuries. Employees should also know to whom emergencies should be reported to. For more information call +1-877-366-0611 or email info(at)illinoisoshatraining(dot)com

The Oxygen Plan Releases The Stress Number Report for 2012 and 2013 Employee stress drains $400 billion a year from U.S. employers--yet many organizations do not fully understand the damage stress causes to their profit margins, employee productivity levels and employee health. In an ongoing study of Stress in America, The Oxygen Plan Corporation reports the 2012 findings of the new health metric - the Stress Number. To date, over 54,000 respondents have completed the 30 question test to get their home, work and social Stress Number. The stress test has 30 questions and scoring ranges 0 - 100, whereby a score of 0 means extreme stress (red), to 100, meaning stress free (green). Key 2012 Findings: 2012 Was Another Stressful Year But Things Got Better" With over 4,000 respondents completing The Oxygen Plans stress test for the survey, the 2012 Stress Number for home was 49, followed by work and social stress at 54 and 55. Versus 2011, the Stress Number improved by 1 point for home, work and social - a first in the four years of our survey history. The 2012 stress test results demonstrate that there is still plenty of stress out there and the Stress Number is essentially unchanged as compared to 2009 and 2010," says Dr. Donald E. Williams, board-certified clinical health psychologist American Board of Professional Psychology/ABPP, and Chief Science Officer, The Oxygen Plan.

"Stress continues to be a concern in the lives of people at work, in their social lives and especially at home. We continue to see each Stress Number in the yellow in all life phases. Employers should be increasingly alarmed given that stress levels remain unchecked for 3 years running. A company of 10,000 has lost up to $50 million for each of the past 3 years for a total of nearly $150 million. The costs are staggering and should grab the attention of any CEO or CFO, particularly since stress is the #1 modifiable health risk factors. Preliminary 2013 Findings: Trending Toward More Stress" So far, the 2013 Stress Number for home, work and social are 2-3 points worse than the 2013 average. Although the change is not statistically significant, it does indicate there is lots of unresolved stress in the country. The impact of stress in the U.S. workplace is bad news for employers as it manifests in lost productivity, absenteeism, presenteeism, group health expense, employee turnover and disability expenses. "Many organizations invest in resources like EAPs, work-life programs and policies, and health and wellness programs," said Dr. Williams. "These are essential but reactive initiatives. Many organizations are unaware of their employees' actual stress levels, how much of their stress is job-related, the root causes of their stress, or that they can be proactive in terms of addressing the very real problems and associated costs." "Stress diminishes the engagement and effectiveness of a workforce, erodes workers' physical and emotional health, and drives up medical and insurance costs," adds Eric Lucas, CEO of The Oxygen Plan Corporation. With the Stress Number, it is now possible to measure, compute, aggregate, report, and trend a stress metric as it relates to personal health or organizational cost, says Dr. Williams. Now, we are able to assess stress, calculate the Stress Number, provide The Oxygen Plan program and re-measure stress for individuals or organizations. The Stress Number is a significant development in the field of health metrics. Because stress in the home or social life impacts employees at work, and vice versa, it's in employers' best interest to know the aggregate employee Stress Number for their organization and get a line of sight into root causes," adds Lucas. For more information visit: http://www.theoxygenplan.com.

BeneTrac Simplifies W-2 Tax Reporting on Benefits and Other Emerging Healthcare Reform Requirements BeneTrac, a Paychex company and provider of powerful, web-based electronic enrollment and employee benefits administration software, is announcing its technology further supports healthcare reform compliance, with enhanced capabilities to satisfy recent W-2 reporting requirements to report the cost of employer-provided health coverage on employee W-2 forms.

The latest software enhancements make it easy to report the aggregate cost of applicable employer-sponsored coverage through its robust reporting tool. This new mandate applies to all companies processing more than 250 W-2 forms for tax years beginning January 1, 2012. As compliance deadlines for new healthcare reform provisions move forward and organizations navigate new W-2 reporting requirements during the busy tax season, we have seen an increase in urgency from businesses that need help to quickly comply, said Summer Hamilton, vice president of sales for BeneTrac. W-2 reporting is just one of the many aspects of healthcare reform that is simplified with the BeneTrac platform. Brokers and HR managers consistently tell us that BeneTracs online solution reduces this reporting burden, adding day-to-day efficiencies that greatly simplify benefits administration and more than justify the return on investment. The new mandate from the IRS requires the portions paid by both the employer and the employee to be included in the information reported on the W-2. The intent is to provide useful and comparable consumer information to employees on the cost of their healthcare coverage. If the employer fails to correctly file by March 31, 2013 for this tax year, penalties may apply. While many software packages track the contribution the employee pays, BeneTrac includes premiums from both the employee and the employer. The enhanced software offers a full electronic report that details contributions and total aggregation to simplify compliance with the W-2 reporting requirement. The system also accounts for changes in enrollment status updates that affect contributions, including life events such as getting married, divorced, having a child and others. In addition to assisting with compliance reporting, our benefit cost reporting functionality provides our clients and brokers with an effective analysis tool for shopping new insurance coverages and aids with budgetary planning, said Michael House, vice president of product management for BeneTrac. BeneTracs technology helps HR administrators, brokers and others prepare for other pending requirements including: --Auto-enrollment of employees in benefits -- The Department of Labor reported the auto enrollment mandate, which requires companies with more than 200 full-time employees to automatically enroll employees in their medical plans, has been delayed until final guidelines are released in 2014. Though employers are not required to comply until final regulations are issued, organizations wanting to prepare for this impending requirement can use BeneTracs feature to automatically enroll employees in a given plan and give them the option to opt out. --Emerging requirements on providing Summary Plan Descriptions -- BeneTrac helps benefits administrators to publish existing plan summaries online.

--Tracking benefit declinations for coverage from employees -- Beginning in 2014 employers with more than 50 employees may have to pay a penalty if they fail to insure employees. For example, in a company with more than 50 employees, if at least one employee receives a premium tax credit or a cost-sharing subsidy in an Exchange, the employer may be required to pay a penalty for not offering coverage. BeneTrac can capture and report on allowable declination information from employees such as coverage under spouse and others to show that coverage was offered and declined by an employee receiving such credits or subsidies. Additionally, BeneTracs free monthly billing audits help to ensure accuracy of data and identify potential discrepancies in payments and/or service. BeneTrac currently works with thousands of brokers and over 600 carriers and data partners to help organizations manage benefits for over a million members throughout the United States. Its software helps HR professionals more efficiently manage benefits online through automatic electronic transfers of employee benefit elections and eligibility information. For more information, please contact 619.788.5800 or [email protected]. Visit http://www.benetrac.com

Accurate Background Announces Bilingual Global Platform Accurate Background, a technology leader in the background screening industry, announced its French Canadian online ordering platform. Following consecutive years of extensive global growth, Accurate Background continues to expand their services worldwide to improve the job candidate experience while supporting diverse language and compliance requirements in each country. Accurate Background's French Canadian offering on their Global Portal is part of an ongoing international translation project which leverages rule-based protocols to intelligently look at a job candidate's address and automatically identify potential language options for translation. Job candidates can then select the language of their choice directly through the intuitive, web-based technology to translate the online application including data entry fields, compliance forms, and email communication used during the background screening process. This latest enhancement was driven by one of the world's leading beverage retailers with a dominant presence in Canada. Client-driven, customized products and technology solutions have become the company's blueprints for advancing new product development and improving existing solutions to further optimize the background screening process for global employers. "The creation of customized solutions based on each client's unique needs is where Accurate Background differentiates itself from other background screening companies. This is just one of

many global initiatives we are developing to improve the effectiveness of the intricate global background screening process," states David Mard, Vice President of Technology and Engineering. "We have designed the translation features in a way that gives us the core technical foundation to allow for rapid expansion of our international capabilities." Multiple language translations are in development with plans to be released throughout 2013. Visit web site at http://www.accuratebackground.com Back to top

PART 3: WAGE COMPLIANCE TRAINING EVENTS

Wage Compliance Training: April 2013 Event Schedule Out Workplace-Wage Compliance Training Center Offers Two Wage training courses all year round: First Course Topic: Workers miss-classification and IRS New VCSP Temporary Eligibility Expansion provision Training Event- Mitigating the Risk of Wage Claims Second Course Topic: The FLSA Pitfalls To Avoid in Overtime and Wage Calculations. Register Your Company's Staff - keep your organization compliant with wage laws. Register online at http://www.workplace-weekly.com/workplacecompliancetraining/ Back to top

PART 4: SUBSCRIPTION RATE

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PART 5: ADVERTISE WITH US

Workplace Weekly News is the No 1 workplace publication in the USA. We have about 22 million visitors and 2000+ subscribers. We have now extended our network by going into Video TV and digital news production. We now stand shoulder to shoulder with other news network like the Wall street journal, New York Times, News week- which distributes news digitally. Our news goes beyond the United State to International audiences all across the globe. Our website has full social integration plug-in and is indexed on major search engines: by Google, Bing, Yahoo, AOL- our news streams directly to the entire major social networks- LinkedIn, face book, twitter, tumblr, etc while our video TV stream on You Tube and DailyMotion USA. With our flexible ad campaign delivery service capable of delivering real time reports on any advert run on our website on CPM rates. With ad impressions over 100,000 you can be assured of reaching your target audience in our specialized publication for the workplace. Request for out advert rate card @ [email protected] Back to top

PART 6: WORKPLACE PUBLICATIONS

As a publication we publish E-books and books on workplace laws that affect businesses and organizations. We do the hard work by fleshing information from the various agencies that regulated the workplaces. This is in accordance with our mission statement which is: -promote enlighten and knowledgeable workforce. These publications have been thoroughly researched to aid compliance and ease application in the day to day employment decision making process faced in the workplaces. Our latest publications:

Customizable Employee Handbook for Small Businesses and HR Department: Added FeatureEmployee Orientation Checklist, Occupational Outlook Handbook 2012-2013 Print and Epub Editions, Five Minute HR Trainer for Supervisors and Business Owners and EEO-1 Filing Made Easy: A Complete Step by Step Guide. Visit our website to get the latest HR compliance publication from our E-store page http://www.workplace-weekly.com/ebook-2/ Back to top

PART 7: ABOUT US
Workplace Weekly News Publication - is the No 1 online and digital workplace/HR media dedicated to promoting enlighten and knowledgeable workforce. By providing real time workplace news and regulatory updates, that affects human resources department across all industries. Workplace Compliance Training a division of workplace weekly news is committed to ensuring a compliant workplace for all organizations type. With specialty in wage and hour law compliance training events which is organized all year long. As a publication, we also publish well research books and e-book that will help human resources professionals and business owners keep their organizations compliant with workplace laws as well as best practices and technologies that aid the workplace process. We also offer 24/7 press release distribution service and news subscription service. Follow us on Our Website: http://www.workplace-weekly.com TV Network on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/WorkplaceTVNetwork Subscribe to our Digital e-News @ http://www.workplace-weekly.com/hr-news/digital-e-news/ http://www.facebook.com/workplaceweekly http://twitter.com/workplaceweekly https://pinterest.com/workplaceweekly/

http://www.tumblr.com/blog/workplaceweekly https://plus.google.com/106523582035289870522/posts http://www.linkedin.com/company/workplace-weekly-newsletter-publication?trk=top_nav_home http://paper.li/f-1362794862 https://foursquare.com/workplaceweekly http://www.zimbio.com/member/Gloria_Towolawi http://www.workplace-weekly.com/2011/09/submit-your-press-release/ Back to top