By Jennifer Jones Thomas CMS has expanded Medicare telehealth benefits on a temporary and emergency basis pursuant to the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act.  Starting March 6, 2020, Medicare will pay for office, hospital, and other visits furnished via telehealth provided by doctors, nurse practitioners, clinical psychologists, and licensed clinical social workers.  The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) is also allowing healthcare providers to reduce or waive cost-sharing for telehealth visits.  Previously,…

By: Chuck Talley and Gabe Silva On March 25, 2020, the Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) issued a memorandum providing guidance on the transport of potentially infected personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic. The memorandum aims to guide the offshore service industry on using the appropriate standards and procedures prior to, during and after the transport of potentially infected personnel. The transport of infected or potentially infected personnel can likely increase the crew’s exposure to COVID-19…

By: Brian R. Carnie, Chelsea G. Caswell, A. Edward Hardin, Jr., Scott D. Huffstetler, Erin L. Kilgore, Michael D. Lowe, Zoe W. Vermeulen, and David M. Whitaker Yesterday afternoon, on March 25, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued its model notices that meet the requirements of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”).  The DOL provided a model notice for private sector employees…

By: Brian R. Carnie, Chelsea G. Caswell, A. Edward Hardin, Jr., Scott D. Huffstetler, Erin L. Kilgore, Michael D. Lowe, Zoe W. Vermeulen, and David M. Whitaker Late Tuesday afternoon, March 24, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued guidance in the form of 14 questions and answers on the new COVID-19 leave act.   Here is the link to the latest guidance. Some…

By Jessica Engler and Jennifer Jones Thomas The COVID-19 pandemic is reshaping many areas of law and regulation as businesses grapple with maintaining compliance, while also responding to the fluid needs of their clients and employees. In an effort to ease the regulatory burden on businesses, certain government agencies have made announcements that their offices will exercise discretion or waive certain noncompliance penalties that were done specifically to act responsibly in COVID-19’s wake. In particular,…

By: Brian R. Carnie, Chelsea G. Caswell, A. Edward Hardin, Jr., Scott D. Huffstetler, Erin L. Kilgore, Michael D. Lowe, Zoe W. Vermeulen, and David M. Whitaker On Wednesday, March 18, 2020, the EEOC released updated guidance titled “What You Should Know About the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and COVID-19.” The release may be accessed here: https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/wysk/wysk_ada_rehabilitaion_act_coronavirus.cfm. Along with some specific new guidance, the EEOC references its…

By Maureen Harbourt, Dwayne Johnson, R. Lee Vail, P.E., Ph.D., Pam Mascari, and Lauren Rucinski The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (“LDEQ”) issued an Emergency and Administrative Order on March 19, 2020, to address hardships posed to regulated facilities  by efforts to combat the COVID-19 virus.  See the order here.  The Order expires on April 18, 2020. The Order may be extended and/or amended as the situation evolves. At this…