COBRA Premium Reductions Extended an Additional Month

Under the Temporary Extension Act of 2010 – which President Obama signed earlier this month – the eligibility period for the COBRA premium subsidy now extends through March 31, 2010. (The previous expiration date was February 28, 2010.) This will allow individuals terminated before this date to reduce their COBRA continuation coverage by 65%.

The law also expands the definition of “assistance eligible individual”. As such, an individual now qualifies for the COBRA subsidy after losing healthcare coverage due to a reduction in hours followed by involuntary termination.

Display the ComplyRight™ COBRA Notice Poster in your workplace to inform employees about the COBRA subsidy changes.

See all COBRA separation products.

ICE Issues Form I-9 Audit Notices to 180 Employers

As expected, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is stepping up its enforcement efforts and holding more employers accountable for knowingly hiring illegal workers. Recently, ICE issued Notices of Inspection (NOIs) to 180 businesses in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee. The notices inform employers that ICE will review their hiring records to determine if they’re complying with employment eligibility verification requirements, including properly completing a Form I-9 for every new hire.

With this latest round of notices, ICE is on track to target almost 2,000 employers in less than one year under the enhanced enforcement initiative it announced last year.

See the latest Form I-9 and other legal hiring tools.