EEOC Updates Guidance on Religious Exemptions from Vaccine Requirements
Even with the COVID-19 cases down and many restrictions, such as mask mandates, lifted, for many employers, vaccine requirements remain place. As a result, employers face religious accommodation exemption requests and there are still unanswered questions. In an effort to provide some clarity to this, on March 2, 2022, the EEOC released revised guidance regarding […]
New Jersey Mandates Vaccinations for Healthcare Workers – Testing No Longer an Option
In the continued battle to fight the deadly pandemic and protect public health, Government Murphy signed Executive Order 283 on January 19, 2022 mandating that New Jersey health care workers be vaccinated or potentially face termination. In doing so, Governor Murphy reversed previously issued Executive Order 252, issued on August 6, 2021, which permitted health […]
Supreme Court Partially Blocks Federal COVID-19 Vaccination/Testing Mandates
In two landmark cases, the United States Supreme Court has stayed OSHA’s “COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing; Emergency Temporary Standard” (ETS) that requires nearly all employers with over 100 employees to require workers to be vaccinated or regularly test for COVID-19. The Court has upheld the vaccination mandate issued by the Department of Health and Human […]
EEOC Releases Detailed Guidance on COVID-19 as a Disability
On December 10, 2021 the EEOC released detailed guidance regarding whether and when COVID-19 is considered a disability. COVID as an “Actual Disability” Under the guidance, an individual with COVID-19 has an actual disability if the person’s medical condition or its symptoms is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major […]
OSHA Temporarily Suspends ETS Employer Mandate
Employers should take note that, following the November 4, 2021 issuance by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring employers with 100 or more employees to mandate vaccines or require weekly testing and face coverings, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit […]
EEOC Releases Guidance on COVID-19-Related Anti-Retaliation Claims
In an effort to better educate employers and employees, the EEOC recently released guidance with respect to anti-retaliation protections for those who exercise their rights under federal equal employment opportunity laws in connection with COVID-19. The guidance clarifies that employers may not retaliate against job applicants, current employees, or former employees who assert their rights […]
OSHA Issues New Standards Regarding Vaccine Mandate and Testing for Private Employers
On November 4, 2021, in furtherance of President Biden’s vaccine mandate, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) applicable to employers with 100 or more employees. The ETS responds to a number of unanswered questions regarding the COVID-19 vaccination mandate and provides essential guidance to employers. According to an […]
EEOC Updates Guidance on Religious Accommodations to Vaccine Requirements
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently updated its COVID-19 guidance to provide employers and employees with critical information regarding religious exemptions to vaccine requirements based on sincerely held religious beliefs under Title VII. Specifically, the updated guidance includes 6 FAQs that specifically target issues such as requests for religious accommodations, evaluating whether a sincerely […]
Health and Human Services Released HIPAA Guidance Addressing Applicability of Privacy Rule to COVID-19 Vaccination Status Requests
The federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights recently issued guidance on whether the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) applies to COVID-19 vaccination information and regulates disclosures of an individual’s COVID-19 vaccination status that touches specifically on employers and employees. By way of background the HIPAA Privacy Rule […]
Rutgers Alumnae Women’s Professional Network Event
On October 19, 20121, Kirsten Scheurer Branigan was part of the New Questions for Changing Times panel discussion hosted by Rutgers Alumnae Women’s Professional Network at the Montclair Hotel. The panel, which was moderated by Osato Chitou, Esq., MPH. included Claudia A. Reis, Esq.,; and Angela N. Radossi, CPA. The discussion covered a variety of […]
President Biden Mandates Strict Employment Vaccine Requirements
In an effort to continue to fight COVID-19 and the Delta Variant and curb the chances of death or hospitalizations, on September 9, 2021, President Biden announced a new national strategic plan, the Path Out of the Pandemic (the “Plan”). The Plan aims to keep schools open and safe and to protect the economy from […]
OSHA Updates COVID-19 Workplace Guidance: August 13, 2021
In an effort to keep workplaces safe and minimize the spread of the Delta Variant of COVID-19, and following the CDC’s updated recommendations, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) updated its Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace (the “Guidance”) on August 13, 2021. Key among the Guidance is […]
