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September 2014

The recent U.S. Supreme Court's decision in United States v. Quality Stores, Inc. resolved a disagreement among the U.S. Courts of Appeal about whether severance payments are subject to taxes required under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA).  The Court held that severance payments are taxable "wages" for FICA tax purposes. This decision ...
It looks like announcements are steadily coming from the Administration setting forth additional requirements on federal contractors. On July 21, 2014, President Obama signed an executive order banning job discrimination against gay and lesbian American workers of federal contractors. In making the announcement, the President stated that Congress has deba...
There has been some confusion about when the new requirements pertaining to individuals with disabilities and protected veterans apply to affirmative action plans. The additional requirements only apply when specific contract value and employee thresholds are met. Employers with federal contracts worth more than $10,000.00 are subject to the general non-...
Obamacare prohibits an employer from imposing a waiting period of more than 90 days before an otherwise eligible full-time employee can begin participating in the employer's health plan. Recent regulations, however, create two safe harbors that an employer, particularly an employer with high turnover, may wish to consider. Regulations issued in February ...
Obamacare and the related regulations have generated much litigation, including two U.S. Supreme Court decisions. The Supreme Court ruled in a case brought by 26 states and others that requiring individuals to pay a penalty for not having health insurance is constitutional as a tax. The Supreme Court also ruled in the Hobby Lobby case that the federal gov...