Effective June 19, 2024, New York employers will be required to provide up to 30 minutes of paid lactation breaks to employees each time an employee has a reasonable need to express breast milk at work. This change to New...more
On April 20, 2024, Governor Hochul signed the New York State Budget for fiscal year 2024-2025 into law. The Budget includes legislation that significantly changes the state’s Consumer Directed Personal Assistance...more
Making New York the first state to mandate paid prenatal leave, the legislature on April 19, 2024 passed an amendment to New York Labor Law § 196-b that will require employers to provide up to 20 hours of paid leave in a...more
4/25/2024
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Labor Reform ,
New Regulations ,
New York ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Pregnancy ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
On December 20, 2023, the New York City Council passed a bill (Proposed Int. No. 563-A) that would create a private right of action to seek damages and other relief for violations of New York City’s Earned Safe and Sick Time...more
On September 15, 2023, the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection adopted changes to the regulations governing the City’s Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (ESSTA). The effective date of the changes is October...more
On September 21, 2023, the New York Department of Health (DOH) issued guidance addressing the due dates for Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MMCOs), Certified Home Health Agencies (CHHAs), Licensed Home Care Services...more
9/25/2023
/ Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Home Health Care ,
Labor Reform ,
Managed Care Contracts ,
Medicaid ,
New York ,
Rate Parity Agreement ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
On December 16, 2022, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an amendment to New York Labor Law Section 201, mandating that employers make notices required to be physically posted at a worksite under federal and state law or...more
The New York Department of Health (“Department”) has circulated a revised Advisory on return-to-work protocols for healthcare personnel after infection or exposure to COVID-19. Once published, the new protocols, dated...more
On September 14, 2022, the New York State Department of Health updated its COVID-19 quarantine and isolation webpage to remove earlier written COVID-19 guidance and tables dated May 31, 2022 (the “May Guidance”). The webpage...more
9/20/2022
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
New York ,
Public Health ,
Quarantine ,
Workplace Safety
In early August, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) announced and opened the New York Health Care Worker Bonus (HWB) Program, which provides $1.2 billion dollars in health care worker bonuses to eligible employees....more
9/1/2022
/ Bonuses ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Essential Workers ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Labor Reform ,
Medicaid ,
New York ,
State Funding ,
Vesting ,
Wage and Hour
On August 2, 2022, the New York State Department of Health (the “Department”) issued revised guidance regarding daily health screenings and related policies for home care staff. Specifically, the new guidance reduces the...more
8/26/2022
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Health Care Providers ,
Home Health Agencies ,
Home Health Care ,
Home Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
New York ,
Screening Procedures ,
Workplace Safety
On August 3, 2022, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced the opening of the $1.2 billion dollar Health Care and Mental Hygiene Worker Bonus Program aimed at rewarding and retaining frontline healthcare and mental hygiene...more
On April 14, 2022, New York City Council Member Christopher Marte, along with Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, introduced legislation that would amend the New York City Fair Workweek law (“FWWL”), which currently applies...more
On February 18, 2022, the New York Department of Health issued a press release stating that to avoid potential staffing issues and to allow NY healthcare workers more time to become boosted against COVID-19, the booster...more
2/18/2022
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Deadlines ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On February 9, 2022, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the state is largely discontinuing the mandate that businesses require proof of vaccination or masks to enter the premises. The mandate will remain in...more
2/11/2022
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Health and Essential Rights (HERO) Act ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
New York ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Public Health ,
Vaccinations ,
Vaccine Passports ,
Workplace Safety
On January 13, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, lifted lower court injunctions that had blocked enforcement in 25 states of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Interim Final Rule requiring...more
1/14/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Biden v Missouri ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Stays ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On December 22, 2021, the New York Department of Labor (Department) issued final regulations regarding the New York State Sick Leave Law (NYSSLL), which has been in effect since September 30, 2020. The final regulations do...more
As previously reported, New York City’s vaccination mandate for private employers goes into effect on December 27, 2021. This measure, issued as an order from the New York City health commissioner in response to a public...more
12/17/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Local Ordinance ,
Masks ,
New York ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
There have been significant developments in the legal challenges brought against the interim final rule of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS rule”), which requires vaccination of all healthcare workers at...more
12/17/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On November 23, 2021, the New York City Council passed a bill amending its Earned Safe and Sick Time Act requiring all private-sector employers to provide their employees with four hours of paid COVID-19 child vaccination...more
Dear Littler: The holiday season is upon us, and we’d like to celebrate this year by holding an actual office party like we did in the “before” times. Prior to 2020, we held luncheons in our New Jersey branch office for...more
11/30/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Events ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Holiday Parties ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Vaccinations ,
Vaccine Passports ,
Workplace Safety
On November 4, 2021, the Biden administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued an interim final rule requiring healthcare worker...more
11/5/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Essential Workers ,
Executive Orders ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on November 1, 2021 that she signed legislation expanding the definition of “family member” under the New York Paid Family Leave Act to include “siblings,” effective January 1, 2023. ...more
On September 23, 2021, the New York State Department of Labor updated its requirements for face coverings contained in its model airborne infectious disease exposure prevention plan. ...more
9/24/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Health and Essential Rights (HERO) Act ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New York ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Safety Standards ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
On September 6, 2021, the New York State commissioner of health designated COVID-19 as a highly contagious communicable disease, thereby triggering certain requirements under the New York Health and Essential Rights (HERO)...more