In recent guidance, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) intended to help states better understand policy options for paying Medicaid providers using telehealth to deliver patient services in combating COVID-19. CMS has recently been encouraging providers to use telehealth services due to the benefit of increasing access to care while reducing the risks for spread of infection and exposure for vulnerable populations. READ MORE
North America
March 26, 2020
CMS issues guidance on payments for state medicaid telehealth services provided during COVID-19 pandemic
March 26, 2020
9 tips for keeping your workforce CyberSavvy while working from home
As organizations and employees work from home, we can expect cyber criminals to attempt to profit off of the confusion. We have tips organizations should consider to protect themselves from cybercriminals during this unique “work from home” time. READ MORE
March 26, 2020
In Advance of April 1 Effective Date, DOL Issues Guidance on Families First Coronavirus Response Act
On March 24, 2020, the Wage and Hour Division (“WHD”) of the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued initial guidance (“Guidance”) on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA” or the “Act”), which we detailed in a previous Advisory. In short, the Act requires private employers with fewer than 500 employees (“covered employers”) to provide paid sick and family leave for certain COVID-19 related absences and includes a tax credit for employers for the cost of the paid leave.
March 26, 2020
How do I deleverage and restructure my business?
COVID-19 may change the restructuring playbook and may make achieving out-of-court restructurings more difficult. READ MORE
March 26, 2020
Secretary Azar Urges Governors to Take Action to Lift Restrictions to Extend the Capacity of the Health Care Workforce
In response to the growing concerns of the capacity of the health care workforce as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 24, 2020 the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar, issued a letter and associated Guidance to all Governors urging them to take immediate action. While the federal government, and some states, have admirably waived and relaxed many rules related to the provision of various types of benefits and services, including relaxed telehealth and privacy rules/enforcement, many necessary actions are within the authority of state governments. Presumably, this plea from Secretary Azar is an attempt to “close the gap” between what the federal government has done to remove these barriers and the stringent restrictions of many state licensure laws. Specifically, Azar sets forth eight action items that he is asking Governors and the District of Columbia to consider in order to lift the limits that state rules currently place on licensure, scope of practice, certification, and recertification/relicensure. The action items include:
March 26, 2020
A World Turned Upside Down: Contract Performance During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Imagine these scenarios:
- Your company cannot perform a contract because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- A vendor informs you that she cannot provide your company with necessary goods because of supply chain issues caused by a governmental emergency declaration.
- A subcontractor cannot perform because its employees are self-quarantining.
These are not hypotheticals. Scenarios like these are playing out around the country. The real-world impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is colliding with contractual requirements, and there is new attention to the legal doctrines of “impossibility,” “frustration of purpose,” “impracticability, and “force majeure.”
March 26, 2020
May Employees Take Hardship Distributions Under Their 401(k) Plan? Benefits Guidance in the Time of COVID-19
As temporary layoffs and furloughs become more prevalent during the COVID-19 outbreak, employers have been asking whether they may allow employees to take hardship distributions under their Section 401(k) plans for expenses and losses resulting from COVID-19.
Under the IRS hardship distribution final regulations, employers were permitted to add a new safe harbor hardship category that would allow an employee to take a hardship withdrawal to cover expenses and losses (including loss of income) incurred by the employee on account of a disaster declared by FEMA under the Stafford Act. To qualify, either the employee’s principal residence or place of employment must be in the disaster area designated by FEMA for assistance. Expenses and losses incurred by family members do not count for this purpose.
March 26, 2020
Personal Jurisdiction in a Time of Social Distancing
Across the nation, authorities are scrambling to meet the new challenges posed by COVID-19. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) has recommended that individuals remain six feet apart in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. On March 13, 2020, the White House proclaimed a national emergency and many State governments have ordered non-essential businesses to close, and residents to self-distance. However, these emergency measures conflict with the rules for personal service of process established by Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 4.
March 25, 2020
Preparing for the economic fallout from the coronavirus
Thoughts from an experienced restructuring attorney based on prior slowdowns on how to prepare for the economic fallout from the coronavirus. READ MORE
March 25, 2020
Employer-Sponsored Leave Sharing or Leave Donation Programs: Benefits Guidance in the Time of COVID-19
Many employers are looking for ways to assist employees directly impacted by COVID-19 and employees on temporary lay-off or furlough who are exhausting their available paid-time-off (PTO). One option employers often ask about is the feasibility of adopting a leave sharing or leave donation program that would permit employees to donate vacation, sick leave or PTO to employees who need the additional time because they have been impacted by COVID-19. Properly structured, leave donated to a co-worker is a viable option, which will not be taxable to the donor but rather taxable to the co-worker when the leave is actually taken.
Welcome to ILN-terviews, a series of profiles of ILN member firm attorneys, designed to give a unique insight into the lawyers who make up our Network. For our latest interview, we chose ILN member, Arthur Li of our member firm Lee and Li in Taiwan, China. In one sentence, how would you describe your practice?...… 
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