Useful Links                                                      Last Updated 7/6/2010

Social Security Offers Free Speakers to Your Organization

Do the people in your organization want to know about Social Security? If so, you can request a Social Security speaker for your next large gathering.

A Social Security representative can speak on an array of topics, such as:

• retirement, and how to prepare;
• pre-retirement, and how to get an estimate of future retirement benefits;
• disability, how it can help, who is eligible, and how to apply;
• wage reporting for small businesses and employers;
• work incentives for people with disabilities who want to work;
and
• how Social Security can provide extra help with Medicare prescription drug costs.

Please submit your request for a speaker online at www.socialsecurity.gov/organizations.

H1N1 Information Resources

"Doing Business During an Influenza Pandemic" -- PDF on SHRM web site at: http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/safetysecurity/articles/Documents/CIDRAPTOOLKIT.pdf

You can obtain more information about the swine flu from the following links:

www.flu.gov
www.health.state.ri.us
www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu  
www.provchamber.com  
www.restaurant.org/fluinfo/ 

SNAP: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Information for HR Professionals About a Program Which Could Benefit Some of Your Employees

by Maria Cimini, SNAP Outreach Coordinator, URI Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America

Winter is coming. For many working families struggling to make ends meet, grocery money is often spent to cover the high cost of heating fuel and medications, rather than food. Fortunately, federal food assistance programs are available to help those in need. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food Stamp Program, is accessible to anyone who meets the eligibility criteria – even people who are working.

Many people – especially working folks – do not believe they are eligible for food assistance. Recent changes in SNAP policies mean more people than ever are eligible for the program. For example, a family of four, making less than $40,800 per year, meets the gross income eligibility standard for SNAP. Though they must still meet a net income test for eligibility, every household may have a car, a house, a savings account, even a 401(k). This means many more working families may now benefit from extra food dollars in their pockets each month. In Rhode Island, the average SNAP benefit per person per month is $104. Those dedicated food dollars could positively impact the health and well being of each member of the family.

At the URI Feinstein Center for a Hunger Free America, w e hold the SNAP outreach contract for the state of Rhode Island. It is our job to get SNAP information to as many potentially eligible people as possible. That is why we are reaching out to HRM-RI members and other HR professionals in Rhode Island.

We believe that though companies make every effort to pay an appropriate wage, the high cost of living in the Northeast makes it difficult for some of your employees to make ends meet. We would like to inform your employees about SNAP, and their potential eligibility. We could provide information to be attached to paychecks, posters to hang in a break room, or come, make a presentation to your staff, and assist them with the application process.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Maria Cimini at 874-5660. You can also learn more about the SNAP program by visiting http://www.eatbettertoday.com.

For a colorful, easy-to-read summary of the program which can be printed and distributed to your employees, use the links below. The summary is provided in two formats -- as a Word document (.doc) and as an Adobe Acrobat file (.pdf).

WhatIsSnap.doc                                           WhatIsSnap.pdf

Taking Care: A Guide to Primary Care Services for Rhode Islanders

The Rhode Island State Nurses Association, with support from The Rhode Island Foundation and the Central RI Area Health Education Center, recently published Taking Care: A Guide to Primary Care Services for Rhode Islanders. The Guide was inserted in the Saturday, October 24, 2009 Providence Journal and also is available online at: .

http://www.risnarn.org/docs/healthguide.pdf

The Training Registry

The Training Registry web site at http://www.trainingregistry.com is an online training resource directory. The site lists training and consulting resources, such as, training companies and their services, trainers, consultants, speakers, coaches, facilitators, books, training products, etc. (The Training Registry is not a training company and does not sell training services or products. This web site is a resource directory.)

Social Security Updates

No Automatic Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment in 2010

With consumer prices down over the past year, monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits for more than 57 million Americans will not automatically increase in 2010. This will be the first year without an automatic Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) since they went into effect in 1975. To download a recent Press Release and Fact Sheet on this topic, issued by the Social Security Administration, click here.

New Way to Verify Employee Social Security Numbers

The process for employers to verify Social Security numbers is changing. Employers can now verify employee Social Security numbers by phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week with a new automated telephone service.

Beginning fall 2009, employers, as well as third parties acting on behalf of employers, will only be able to verify employee numbers online or over the automated telephone service. Social Security’s telephone agents will no longer verify numbers for employers.

To use the system, you must be registered.  Employers can register today at www.socialsecurity.gov/employer. Select the "Business Services Online" link.  More information is available on the Social Security website.

For registration questions, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/employer or call Social Security’s employer reporting service center at 1-800-772-6270.

Social Security and SSI Benefit Increase for 2009

On October 16, 2008, Social Security announced that Social Security and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries will receive a 5.8 percent benefit increase in 2009. The 5.8 percent increase is the largest since 1982. The Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2009 is based on the increase in the Consumer Price Index from the third quarter of 2007 through the third quarter of 2008.

Click here for a press release (PDF) which outlines some other important changes that are affected by the COLA.

Social Security Publishes Online Newsletter

Use the link below to access the latest edition of Social Security Update, published online by the Social Security Administration. In it you will find current information on the second public hearing on compassionate allowances for disability claims, an important agreement with the National Institutes of Health, the SSA's 15 language Multilanguage Gateway web page, SSA's new online initiative -- Consent-Based Social Security Number Verification --the latest Trustees Report, and an update on SSA's Mother’s Day Medicare extra help outreach efforts.

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/newsletter/

Social Security Offers Retirement Planning Estimator Online

Social Security wants to make retirement planning as easy as possible and one way they are doing this is by introducing a new online financial and retirement planning tool, called the Retirement Estimator. You can find it at:

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator/

This tool allows individuals to get an immediate and personalized estimate of their potential Social Security retirement benefits to help them in their retirement planning. It is convenient. Since it is tied to actual Social Security earnings records, there is no need to manually enter years of earnings information. The Retirement Estimator is also interactive, allowing users to compare different retirement options by changing "stop work" dates or expected earnings. This service is also secure -- only the benefit estimates are provided online, ensuring that no personal information is revealed.

SSA hopes that you will take a look at the Retirement Estimator and share it with your employees and colleagues by adding a link to the Retirement Estimator to your own company's website. By linking to the Retirement Estimator, your visitors will have access to a convenient and interactive tool specifically designed to facilitate their financial and retirement planning.

Individuals Can Apply for Social Security Retirement Benefits Online

Also, remember that individuals can save a trip to their local Social Security office by applying for retirement benefits online -- it's convenient and secure, at:

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/applyforbenefits/

Free Chiropractic Care For Stress Relief in Tough Economic Times

Located in Seekonk, Massachusetts, Chiropractic Care ( http://www.slaterchirocare.com ) has been servicing the surrounding community for the past 10 years not only by providing excellent chiropractic services to their patients, but by also providing many free community services as part of a "Get Healthy" campaign geared toward promoting health and wellness in the community and bringing attention to spinal health.

Chiropractic Care offers 3 basic programs that can last 1 - 4 hours, Monday through Friday, starting at 9 am. They will send a Licensed Massage Therapist and one of their trained staff to your business for free.

The first program is an "Employee Appreciation Program" open to all local businesses interested in providing all of their employees with a free 10 minute stress relief chair massage treatment. The second is a "Massage a Teacher Program" providing teachers with a free 10 minute stress relief treatment and is open to all local schools from day cares to universities. The third is simply a "Stress Relief Treatment Program" where they offer the same services to the public or at an event.

There are no costs to your business to participate in these programs and they only require a small, quiet area for the massage chair. Call Chiropractic Care ( 508-336-5582 ) to reserve your spot today.

Chiropractic Care is dedicated to improving the lives of their patients naturally and without the use of medication. Both Dr. Janice Slater, D.C. and Dr. Janine Crifasi, D.C. are specialists with over 30 years combined experience in evaluating and treating disorders involving the neck, back, sciatica, muscle pain, problems with the shoulders, arms, hips and other joints. Both doctors are proficiency rated in the Activator Method technique. For more information about Activator, please visit www.activator.com

Employers Guide to the 2006 MA Health Care Reform Act

Updated January 21, 2008

This is an excellent information resource, written by Alden J. Bianchi, Esq., and published by Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC. It is available for download in PDF format from the Mintz Levin website (use link below).

http://www.mintz.com/newsletter/2007/EBEC-Alert-MHCRA-Guide-02-07/MHCRA-Emp-Guide.pdf

CareGiverHelper - New Free Online Service

CareGiverHelper is a free online service which provides families with ways to communicate, organize and find resources to support parents or care recipients. It is easy to use and secure. Individuals or organizations interested in learning more about this free service should visit:
 
www.CareGiverHelper.com

Cornerstone Adult Services Offers New Corporate Connector

Did you know that 60 percent of family caregivers are in the workforce and most of them work full-time?

Managing the priorities of work and family, in addition to caregiving, is stressful and can result in burn-out and other health problems for workers. For employers, caregiving costs an estimated $33.6 billion in lost productivity annually. As the number of elders continues to grow, more families will be caring for elder parents or other older relatives with disabilities. For some who are caring for both parents and grandparents while still dealing with the needs of minor children, the "Sandwich Generation" is now the "Club Sandwich Generation".

Too often family caregivers are unaware of the programs that can help. Across the nation, employers are recognizing the significant impact caregiving has on employee productivity and that employer eldercare programs help with worker recruitment and improve a business’s bottom line.

That is why Cornerstone is offering its CORPORATE CONNECTOR program.

Through this program, Cornerstone will link businesses with the following services:

Mini-seminars for employees or clients
Offered free of charge and tailored to meet an employer's individual workforce needs, these educational programs can be conducted during a lunch or other break time or after work.
 
Topics include:

• Starting the Conversation: Ten Tips for Talking with your Aging Parents
• Planning Ahead: The Importance of Living Wills and Powers of Attorney
• The ABC's of Home and Community-based Care
• Dealing with Alzheimer’s and Memory Loss

Individual Consultation, Assessment and Care Planning
Individualized consultation goes beyond providing a list of resources by offering assessment and care planning services to help employees make care choices unique to their individual situations. The consultation is conducted on a fee for service basis.

Caregiver respite
At its four adult day centers, Cornerstone offers full-day respite for caregivers and will coordinate with its care partners to arrange in-home or residential respite when needed.

Caregiver Support Groups
Cornerstone conducts a number of caregiver support groups to which employees are welcome or we can help you start your own group.

To learn more about CORNERSTONE’S CORPORATE CONNECTOR, call 401-739-2844. To learn more about all the services provided by Cornerstone Adult Services, visit the web site at http://www.cornerstone-ri.com.

Medicare Part D Information

General Information: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medicarereform/

Model Notice: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medicarereform/CredCov-BeneDsclsreNtc.pdf

Guidance Document: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medicarereform/CCGuidance.pdf

 
Best Places to Work In Rhode Island

The idea of identifying "best places to work" is not new. Many have seen Fortune's "Top 100 Companies to Work for" issue. Rhode Island, however, is one of the first states in the country to create a "Best Places to Work" program on a statewide basis. The RI State Council of SHRM and Providence Business News have partnered with the Best Companies Group and ModernThink to offer this program to businesses in the state. Learn more at: www.bestplacestoworkri.com.
  

Emergency/Disaster Readiness

CDC's Emergency Preparedness and Response Emails

Sign up for Emergency Preparedness and Response emails, provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For information about how to subscribe to these updates, visit:  CDC's website.

FEMA's Mitigation Best Practices Portfolio

Find out how communities and individual homeowners around the country prevent or reduce the impact from disasters with FEMA's Mitigation Best Practices Portfolio. With the Best Practices Portfolio, you can search for examples of activities, projects, and potential funding sources that communities and individuals have implemented to protect both people and property. You can also subscribe to Best Practices e-mail updates for news ofnew mitigation best practices as they are added to the portfolio.

Have a recent disaster-prevention success story of your own? You can also submit your Best Practice idea to the portfolio and help spread the word of how important, effective,
and life-saving mitigation can be.

Best Practices e-mail updates

Other Useful Links for Emergency/Disaster Readiness Information

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency

Department of Homeland Security

The PAQS Project

The Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine at The Miriam Hospital are offering and evaluating a program to help parents/caregivers of children under 18 to quit smoking. This program is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Contact: 1-866-401-PAQS (7277) or 401-793-8226

Click here to download a printer-friendly flyer/poster which can be used to promote this program to employees in your workplace. Here is a brief description of this program:

• It takes place in the parent/caregiver's home.
• Parents/caregivers receive child health education at no cost to them.
• Parents/caregivers who are smokers and wish to quit smoking will receive counseling to help them to quit and up to 8-weeks of the nicotine patch at no cost to them. Caregivers can participate even if they do not want to quit smoking.
• An air sampler will be placed in the home to measure environmental tobacco smoke exposure and the parent/caregiver will be provided with a report.
• Parents/caregivers will be financially compensated for completing surveys that evaluate the program's effectiveness and can earn up to $130.

For a PDF containing full details and contact information for this program, click here.

USCIS Releases Newly-Dated I-9 Form on June 16, 2008

On June 16, 2008, the USCIS released a newly-dated I-9 form which employers may begin using immediately. What’s behind the change?

Due to the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) must have current expiration dates on all approved forms, including the I-9. While the content of the form has not changed from last year’s version, the date of the form and OMB expiration date have been adjusted.

While the use of new forms is generally not required before 30 days after appearing in the Federal Register and guidance on this requirement has yet to be issued, we want to make sure that SHRM members have the most updated form, and recommend that you begin using this new form as soon as possible.

You may download the new I-9 form as a PDF at: http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-9.pdf

Help from DOL

Employment Laws: Medical and Disability-Related Leave

www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/employ.htm
 

Employment Laws: Overview & Resources for Employers

www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/overview.htm
 

elaws Advisors

The elaws Advisors are Web-based tools that help businesses and workers understand and comply with federal employment laws. Available at www.dol.gov/elaws, this service is an interactive Web site that mimics the interaction a person may have with an employment law expert. One of the newest elaws Advisors, the FirstStep Employment Law Advisor, helps small businesses simply and quickly determine which of the major employment laws administered by DOL apply to them and provides easy-to-access information about how to comply with each law's requirements.
 

DOL Compliance Assistance Web Site

By accessing the DOL Compliance Assistance Web site at www.dol.gov/compliance, you can access a wide range of information and resources on DOL's rules and regulations any time, day or night. The site also offers the opportunity to ask questions about employment and regulatory issues via e-mail. Employment Law Guide

The Employment Law Guide, which describes DOL's major statutes and regulations, is a valuable resource for new business owners or individuals who aren't familiar with DOL's laws. The Guide presents business owners with introductory information to develop wage, benefit, safety and health and nondiscrimination policies for their businesses. Written in plain language, this free publication provides background information on DOL's major laws, outlining who is covered; the basic provisions of each law; the penalties for not complying; specific compliance assistance resources available for that law; and how the law relates to state and local laws. It is available in English and Spanish, both in print and online.

Employers can obtain a free copy by calling 1-866-4-USA-DOL or by accessing the online version at www.dol.gov/asp/programs/guide.htm.
 

Toll-Free Help Line

The U.S. Department of Labor established the first Federal Department-wide Toll-Free Help Line. By calling 1-866-4-USA-DOL, America's workers and employers can find answers to questions on a range of employment and regulatory issues. DOL can now assist you in more than 140 languages when you have questions about job loss, business closures, pay and leave, workplace injuries, safety and health, pension and health benefits, and reemployment rights for National Guard members, veterans and reservists. Calls to the Help Line are kept confidential.

New FLSA Minimum Wage Poster Available FREE from DOL Site

By July 24th, 2007, every employer subject to the Fair Labor Standard Act's minimum wage provisions must post, and keep posted, a notice explaining the Act in a conspicuous place in all of their establishments. The DOL has created a new poster for this use that meets the requirements of this law. It can be downloaded free from the DOL web site at:

http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/posters/flsa.htm

Document Management Systems

COMPANY NAME: e-docs UK
 
URL: http://www.e-docsuk.co.uk/

DESCRIPTION: Our Business Process Optimisation services give you greater control over documentation and processes along with major improvements in productivity, efficiency and customer service. Typically, we can reduce your operational costs by up to 40% within six months.

Employers Can Take Advantage of Group Rates at Trinity Rep

Trinity Repertory Company offers group rates to businesses. Visit the Trinity Rep website at www.trinityrep.com
 

Other Useful Links

HR Daily Advisor - FREE Daily Email Newsletter from BLR

HRVillage - Web Portal for Finding HR-Related Information and Links

SHRM -- Connecticut State Council

Human Resource Leadership Association of Eastern Connecticut - Chapter of SHRM

The Rhode Island Foundation's Directory of Nonprofit Organizations

The Rhode Island Foundation's Nonprofit Consultant Directory

SHRM -- Western Connecticut - Chapter of SHRM

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