On February 4, 2009, President Obama signed the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA). CHIPRA included a requirement that the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services develop a model notice for employers to use to inform employees of potential opportunities currently available in the State in which the employee resides for group health plan premium assistance under Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

The U.S. Department of Labor has now published the Employer CHIP Notice. For purposes of the Employer CHIP Notice requirement, an employer providing benefits (directly or through insurance, reimbursement, or otherwise) for medical care in a State is considered to maintain a group health plan in that State. If that State provides medical assistance under a State Medicaid plan, or child health assistance
under a State child health plan, in the form of premium assistance for the purchase of group health plan coverage, the employer is required to provide the Employer CHIP Notice.

Specifically, the employer is required to notify each employee of potential opportunities currently available in the State in which the employee resides for premium assistance under Medicaid and CHIP for health coverage of the employee or the employee’s dependents. Here is the model notice which includes specific information for the 40 States this requirement currently applies to: Employer CHIP Model Notice. (Currently the notice does not apply to the following states: CT, DE, HI, IL, MD, MI, MS, OH, SD, and TN. The notice and list will be updated annually on the U.S. Department of Labor’s website to reflect any changes.)

For plan years beginning between February 4, 2010 through April 30, 2010, the Employer CHIP notice must be provided by May 1, 2010. For employers whose next plan year begins on or after May 1, 2010, the Employer CHIP notice must be provided by the first day of the next plan year (January 1, 2011 for calendar year plans).

For full details of the CHIP Model Notice requirements, click here: Federal Register CHIP Notice

Free Webinar: Join us on February 18th at 2pm for the “A to Z Employment Laws - Overview” webinar, presented by Brenda JM Sabin, CBP HRSentry’s Director of Operations and Site Administration. Employment Laws are confusing for many people. With so many acronyms it can be confusing to understand which ones you must comply with. ADA, FMLA, HIPAA, FLSA, COBRA, ADEA, ICRA - what do these mean and how do they apply to your organization? What about the amendments that recently became effective? In this webinar we will breakdown the individual laws and show you which ones you must comply with based on the number of employees you have or the industry you are in. Click here for more information on the “A to Z Employment Laws - Overview” webinar.

HRSentry has teamed up with Champlain College’s Workforce Development Center to offer a series of online workshops in human resource management. Now more than ever, it is important to handle your HR challenges professionally and with minimal risk. This HR series is designed to help small to medium size organizations gain the expertise they need to manage risk and at the same time, provide excellent service and a welcoming workplace environment to employees.

What You Must Know About Equal Opportunity in Employment under the Law
How can you keep your organization safe?
March 15 – May 7
April 26 – June 18
May 17 – July 2

(32 SHRM PHR,SPHR, and GPHR recertification hours)

Preventing Discrimination in Hiring and Managing Employees
What does it mean for your organization?
April 5 – May 7
May 17 – June 18

(20 SHRM PHR,SPHR, and GPHR recertification hours)

Motivating Employees for Optimal Performance
Effective Performance Management Systems
April 5 – May 7
May 17 – June 18

(20 SHRM PHR,SPHR, and GPHR recertification hours)

Finding and Keeping the Right People
HR Best Practices
April 5 – May 7
May 17 – June 18

(20 SHRM PHR,SPHR, and GPHR recertification hours)

The first of the Online Human Resource Management Workshop Series begins in March. All workshops will be offered on a rotating schedule every six to nine weeks. See the program website has scheduling details.

HRCI Seal

These workshops have been pre-approved by the HR Certification Institute, the training arm of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) for PHR, SPHR, and GPHR re-certification credits. The use of this seal is not an endorsement by the HR Certification Institute of the quality of the program. It means that this program has met the HR Certification Institute’s criteria to be pre-approved for recertification credit.

Learn more about all four workshops and register online, Visit the workshops homepage. Discounts apply for participants who register for multiple workshops. Ask how.

HRSentry is proud to announce that we have been selected by LegalZoom.com, the nation’s leading online legal document and filing service, to be a preferred provider of HR compliance services.  This partnership will give LegalZoom.com users access to HRSentry’s online human resource center as part of LegalZoom.com’s Business Resource Network. The partnership provides LegalZoom.com’s customers, who often have newly formed businesses, a trusted provider of federal and state employment laws, hr forms, policies, procedures, posters, and training.  Visit LegalZoom.com’s Business Resource Network here.

Join us on thursday January 21st from 2:00 - 3:00pm for a free webinar on total compensation presented by Brenda JM Sabin, CBP HRSentry’s Director of Operations and Site Administration.  Do you give your employees Total Compensation Statements (sometimes called Benefit Statements)? If you do, do your employees actually understand them? If you don’t, why not?

Total Compensation Statements if created and communicated correctly can have a huge impact and lower your turnover rates. If communicated incorrectly they can have a disastrous affect on employee morale. Learn all the components of a Total Compensation Statement and learn key ideas on how to communicate these correctly to your workforce.  Click here to sign up.