LaRocco Companies/ A A LaRocco & Associates Inc.

01/14/2022

Of course check out your power company's tips and keep their numbers handy to report any outages etc. Jackson EMC shares the following tips in lieu of the Weather Forecasted:

Weather is unpredictable. Winter ice storms, a tornado or a summer downpour after weeks of drought can disrupt the flow of energy powering our homes, schools, businesses and factories. Dangerous weather events can cause hazardous road conditions, downed power lines and extended power outages. If power lines go down because of a winter storm, you may be in for an extended power outage as line crews battle the elements to find problem areas and restore service as quickly and safely as possible.

Follow these tips to stay safe during a power outage:

Before the Storm
Create a disaster kit.
If your water is pumped electrically, fill your bathtub and spare containers with water in case power goes off.
Turn your refrigerator to its coldest setting. If the power goes out, this will keep foods fresh longer. If your freezer is relatively empty, fill plastic soda bottles or other plastic containers with water and put them in the freezer. During an extended outage, transfer some of the containers to the refrigerator.
If you or a family member depends on life support, inform your co-op before a power outage happens.
If there is an Outage
Report outages and downed wires to Jackson EMC.
Treat all downed lines as dangerous. Always assume fallen power lines are energized and stay at least 10 feet away from lines and any nearby objects they may be touching. Never attempt to move power lines. Never touch a person or object that is in contact with a downed line; call 911.
Inside the House

Unplug everything. As electricity is restored, it may create power surges that can destroy electronics. Leave one light switched one so you know when power has returned.
Don’t use candles. Flashlights produce more light and won’t burn your house down. Bring solar landscape lights inside for extra light. (Don’t forget to put them out for recharging during the day.)
Keep the fridge closed. The less you open fridge and freezer doors, the longer your food will stay cold. Use an appliance thermometer to check the temperature. (The refrigerator will keep food properly cold for four hours if unopened. A full freezer will hold temperatures for 48 hours; 24 hours if is half full.)
At the Office

Unplug motor-driven appliances and sensitive electronic equipment such as computers, printers and copiers in order to avoid an electrical overload when power returns.
Make sure heat-producing equipment has been switched off or unplugged before you leave the building. If such equipment comes back on when power is restored and employees are out of the building, it could cause a fire.
Listen to local radio stations or check jacksonEMC.com for status reports about affected areas and power restoration activities. outage.jacksonemc.com; 1-800-245-4044.

Warning: If you need to use a generator to energize your refrigerator or other necessary electric device, be sure to turn the breaker off at your house so you don’t feed electricity back on the line, unintentionally putting linemen at risk and causing a cascading outage once power is restored.

Prepare a 72-hour disaster kit
A severe storm can knock out power in your area, leaving you without heat, running water or a way to cook food. It’s a good idea to put together an emergency supply in case of an emergency. Remember: children don’t like to be in the dark.

A basic emergency supply kit could include the following items:

Battery-powered NOAA Weather Radio.
Water: 1 gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation.
Non-perishable, ready-to-eat, food.
Manual can opener.
Flashlight and extra batteries.
First-aid kit – including prescription medications.
Tools: wrench, pliers, hammer and screwdriver to turn off utilities.
Cellphone with car charger, battery pack or solar charger.
Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person.
Complete change of clothes for each person.
Cash and credit cards.
Photocopies of important family documents (insurance policies, identification and bank account records) in a waterproof, portable container.
Paper and pencil.
Books, games, cards or puzzles for entertainment.
Moist towelettes and garbage bags for sanitation.
Toothbrush, toothpaste, soap and other personal items.
Pet food and extra water for your pet.

12/09/2021

From BBP Admin (Benefit Administrators)

Employee Benefits Question of the Week - When is an Employee's Vaccination Status HIPAA-protected?

Answer: The HIPAA privacy rule generally applies to information categorized as protected health information (PHI). It includes almost all health information identifying an individual--generally, any details relating to the person's past, present, or future physical or mental health condition or the provision of, or payments for, health care.

Not all healthcare information, however, constitutes PHI. It generally encompasses only health information that's created, received, maintained, or transmitted by a covered entity. Health plans are generally covered entities. So, when in the hands of a covered entity, an individual's vaccination status will likely constitute PHI and be protected under the privacy rule.

Notably, HIPAA specifically excludes any information the employer is holding in its employment records from PHI. An employer sponsoring a group health plan generally wears two separate hats. It has different responsibilities when acting as an employer versus when it's acting as a covered entity, i.e., the health plan.

Now that we have the basics, let's look at some common questions.

Does the HIPAA privacy rule prohibit businesses or individuals from asking customers whether they have been vaccinated?

No. HHS clarified the rule doesn't prohibit anyone from simply asking other persons whether they have been vaccinated. When a business asks customers, it likely isn't acting as a covered entity under the health plan. In that situation, the rule generally doesn't apply. Additionally, the privacy rule doesn't prohibit covered entities from simply requesting health information. Instead, the rule is concerned with the manner in which they use and disclose PHI in their possession.

Does the HIPAA privacy rule prohibit an employer from requiring workforce members to disclose whether they have received a COVID-19 vaccine to the business, clients, or other parties?

No. The privacy rule doesn't apply to information the employer keeps in its employment records, in contrast to details held by the health plan. The rule doesn't prohibit you from requesting an employee's vaccination status as part of the terms and conditions of employment. According to HHS, the rule doesn't prohibit a covered entity or business associate from requiring or asking workforce members to:

Provide documentation of their COVID-19 or flu vaccination to the current or prospective employer;
Sign a HIPAA authorization for a covered healthcare provider to disclose their coronavirus or varicella vaccination record to the employer;
Wear a mask while in the employer's facility or on the premises or in the normal course of performing job duties at another location; or
Disclose whether they have received a COVID-19 vaccine in response to queries from current or prospective patients.

You should be aware other federal or state laws may come into play when requiring employees to obtain vaccinations as a condition of employment and covering how you must handle the information.

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BBP Admin

03/25/2021

We love our partners. Thank you Thread Engage for being there to help our clients. https://threadhcm.com/hr-consulting/

Hope your day out there is amazing!

What's more precious than a diamond? Our Time! Our time is limited, and it's easily wasted. Those people we read about who accomplish things--use their time wisely. Here are 6 ways to save time and get it done.
1. Put the phone down. YouTube, FaceBook, Insta, TikTok. They're time wasters. Unless you're getting paid to comment on a product, walk away. You can set screen time notifications if you're struggling with this.
2. Pick the most important tasks first. We could all spend the entire day answering emails, but if you pick your "rocks" and do emails after, you'll be much more productive.
3. Pad your schedule with buffer time to accommodate for traffic, long-winded co-workers, and other distractions. Like they say, "Early is on time, on-time is late, and late is unacceptable."
4. Delegate. Stick to your strengths and delegate the rest. When I worked for myself, I hired a virtual assistant to do all of the things I didn't know how to do or didn't enjoy doing. It was life changing.
5. Get in Work mode. Laundry and Netflix shows can wait. If remote work from home is too distracting, leave the house and go somewhere you can concentrate and produce.
6. Talk to the experts. You can save yourself a lot of frustration and time by going straight to the experts for answers. Instead of trying to remember everything, have resources available for quick help.

If you manage your time well, you will be happier, so it's worth the effort. Give the gift of saving time to your team.

Your people are your best assets. We power Human Resources team to move further faster by simplifying the hire to retire process.

11/05/2020

Health Flexible Spending Account Limit Will Remain the Same for 2021!

On Oct. 27, 2020, the IRS released Revenue Procedure 2020-45 (Rev. Proc. 20-45) , which announced that the health FSA dollar limit on employee salary reduction contributions will remain at $2,750 for taxable years beginning in 2021.

Employer Limits

An employer may continue to impose its own dollar limit on employees' salary reduction contributions to health FSAs, as long as the employer's limit does not exceed the ACA's maximum limit in effect for the plan year. For example, an employer may decide to limit employee health FSA contributions for the 2021 plan year to $2,500.

Per Employee Limit

The health FSA limit applies on an employee-by-employee basis. Each employee may only elect up to $2,750 in salary reductions in 2021, regardless of whether he or she also has family members who benefit from the funds in that FSA.

However, each family member who is eligible to participate in his or her own health FSA will have a separate limit. For example, a husband and wife who have their own health FSAs can both make salary reductions of up to $2,750 per year, subject to any lower employer limits.

07/14/2020

Returning to Work Safely. Along with Hand Washing, Social Distancing, and Working Remotely, consider a System to electronically onboard and hold open enrollments. Given the need to adapt to our new environment, a ben-admin system, in lieu of face-to-face conversations may be useful. They provide efficiency (payroll deductions, etc.) and accessibility (self-service and easy access for a policyholder to elect changes.) *

Employers will want to consider a system—but make that choice quickly, as it can take a while for a human resources staff to acclimate. Let us help you! We guide you Step by Step, build it out for you and assist in administering the system with you and your employees all year.

* From the Article: how to think about open enrollment during COVID-19 in Human Resource Executive magazine online.

04/15/2020

Where to go for emotional support. Many policies have built in employee assistance programs for help during tough times.

Available to anyone:

The Optum Emotional Support Help Line at 1-866-342-6892 is free of charge and available to anyone, so you can share it with family and friends.

Caring professionals will connect people to resources. It is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

03/24/2020

A bit of a helpful tip.

The Covid-19 pandemic, also known as the novel coronavirus, has affected daily life in unprecedented ways. Because of home-work and homeschooling measures, millions of Americans are using video con…

03/24/2020

COMMISSIONER KING ISSUES THIRD COVID-19 DIRECTIVE TO INSURANCE INDUSTRY

View the complete announcement here: https://gahu.org/announcements.php?id=21


ATLANTA – Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King released a new Directive to Georgia’s insurance industry announcing additional protections for Georgia consumers and businesses negatively impacted by COVID-19.

Today’s Directive – the third released so far from the Commissioner’s Office – instructs property and casualty insurers not to cancel any commercial policies for non-payment, particularly those dealing with business interruption or business income coverage, for the next 60 days. It also calls on health insurers to refrain from canceling policies for non-payment until further notice.

“The COVID-19 virus is increasingly having a direct financial impact on many families and businesses across our state,” said Commissioner King. “Today’s Directive ensures that no one in Georgia loses critical insurance coverage for non-payment due to these circumstances beyond their control.”
The Directive also alerts insurers that the Commissioner’s Office is halting all in-person, onsite exams, audits, and licensing requirements, while temporarily suspending all non-federal filing deadlines and applicable late filing fees until business operations return to normal. Additionally, the Commissioner will offer immediate and expedited review for any insurance products that are critical due to the COVID-19 outbreak and its effects.

The mission of the Office of the Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner is to protect Georgia families by providing access to vital insurance products and safe buildings through fair regulation that creates economic opportunities for all Georgians.

CLICK HERE TO OPEN DIRECTIVE 20-EX-5 TO ALL LICENSED INSURANCE COMPANIES IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA

View the complete announcement here: https://gahu.org/announcements.php?id=21

ATLANTA – Today, Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King released a new Directive to Georgia’s insurance industry announcing additional protections for Georgia consumers and businesses negatively impacted by COVID-19.

03/12/2020

On March 11, 2020, the IRS issued Notice 2020-15, which allows high deductible health plans (HDHPs) to pay for COVID-19 testing and treatment without a deductible. This Legal Update video explains more.

03/11/2020

Many of the carriers are covering testing like other preventive care, some waiving the cost totally. UnitedHealthcare is one of them.

Our top priority is the health and wellbeing of our members & patients. How we’re taking action for COVID-19: http://www.uhc.com/covid-19

01/22/2020

Scams are at an all time high and when you receive one of these the e-mails look very real. Stay alert. Be careful when clicking on links provided.

potential scam involving FedEx packages.

This time of year, many people are awaiting the delivery of packages and scammers are taking advantage of this by using the “FedEx Home Delivery email and text message” scam.

The way this scam works is that a person will receive and email or text message that tells you that “your items have arrived, but our courier was not able to deliver the parcel.” The recipient of the message is then directed to check the attachment for details.

Although these messages look as if they are official and from FedEx, the company has assured the police that they do not send emails or text messages to customers. If a delivery cannot be completed, the courier will leave a “Missed Delivery” notice at your front door that gives instructions on how you can pick up your package.

If you receive one of the scam emails or texts, you should delete it immediately and do not open the attachment. Often, the attachment contains malware that can infect your computer, tablet, or smart phone that gives the sender access to everything on the device.