Disability insurance covers income lost due to injuries and illnesses that are not job related. In most states, employers are not legally required to provide disability insurance. Only six jurisdictions require that employees be covered by short-term disability insurance through state-run programs or by private or self-insurance coverage that is equivalent to the state-run program. Disability insurance can often be provided at relatively little or no cost to the employer. The latest trend is to provide integrated disability programs that tie together short- and long-term disability insurance, workers' compensation insurance, and health insurance.
Retirement Security for Disabled Employees
Because neither an employer nor an employee can continue to contribute to the company's qualified retirement plans on behalf of a person who is not an active employee, a disabling injury can mean a much smaller pension at retirement. What can be done to guard against such a scenario?
Legal Waiver Doesn’t Prevent Disability Benefits Suit
A federal appeals court ruling in the case of Seman v. FMC Corporation Retirement Plan provides two big lessons, among them: Always follow all of a plan’s claims procedures.
Fingerprinting Raises Privacy Concerns
As more employers begin using fingerprinting technologies to screen job applicants and improve their overall security, civil libertarians are warning there aren’t enough legal protections against abuse.
Ramadan Observance and the Workplace
As workplaces become more diverse, employers and employees alike are learning how to accommodate Islamic workers’ observance of Ramadan, their religion's lunar calendar month of fasting.
