Industry Updates


WEATHER-RELATED RISK  – Commercial Properties Increasingly Vulnerable

A NEW report highlights the risks to commercial real estate owners from natural catastrophes and climate-related disasters, which are happening with increasing frequency. The report by Heitman LLC, a global real estate company, in conjunction with the Urban Land Institute, found that the increasing risks from catastrophes are bringing new challenges to commercial property owners …

WORKPLACE SAFETY – OSHA Not Letting Up on Inspections, Penalties

Despite widespread expectations, FedOSHA under the Trump administration has not backed off on enforcing workplace safety regulations. In fact, the agency is as aggressive as ever and citations issued have also risen, after fines increased substantially three years ago. Based on OSHA statistics, a company that’s inspected has only a 25% chance of not receiving a single citation. In other words, employers should keep up their …

Court Makes New Pay Rules for On-Call Workers

Employers with on-call workers who have to phone in to check on a scheduled shift are now required to pay them reporting pay, a California appellate court has ruled. The court held in the precedent-setting case of Ward vs. Tilly’s, Inc. that an employee scheduled for an on-call shift may be entitled to partial wages for that shift despite never physically reporting to …

WEATHER-RELATED RISK – Commercial Properties Increasingly Vulnerable

A new report highlights the risks to commercial real estate owners from natural catastrophes and climate-related disasters, which are happening with increasing frequency. The report by Heitman LLC, a global real estate company, in conjunction with the Urban Land Institute, found that the increasing risks from catastrophes are bringing new challenges to commercial property owners in terms of risk mitigation and securing appropriate property coverage, which …

WORKER’S COMP – Most Common Audit Mistakes: What to Look For

No company owner wants to undergo a workers’ compensation audit, but they are a fact of life if you run a business and have employees. Unfortunately, many audits don’t go smoothly and sometimes your insurer may make mistakes. Missouri-based Workers’ Compensation Consultants, which helps employers through the audit process, recently listed the 10 most common audit mistakes insurers …

Changes to Original Medicare Deductibles – Effective January 1, 2019

Effective January 1st, 2019, there will be changes to the original Medicare Deductibles, coinsurance and out-of-pocket limits. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the 2019 Original Medicare cost share amounts on October 12, 2018.  We are pleased to share with you the cost share changes to Original Medicare.   Medicare Hospital Coverage (Part A) …

JUST IN: Amendments to Worker’s Compensation

OFF THE PRESS – It’s not everyday we get to bring you good news, but this undoubtedly qualifies. The Insurance Commissioner, Dave Jones, just published his decision to reject the proposal to restructure Classification 8868 and 9101 and create new classifications specific to developmental disability services. CDSA, along with other stakeholders, advocated for the rejection …

Update to the Health Savings Account (HSA) Family Maximum for 2018

On Thursday, April 26th, the IRS released Revenue Procedure 2018-27. This guidance modifies the annual limit for health savings accounts (HSAs) for individuals with family coverage under an HDHP. Specifically, this guidance allows health savings account holders to again treat the 2018 limit as $6,900. As background, on May 4, 2017, the IRS set the maximum HSA contribution …

Senate Bill 189 Amendments

Senate Bill 189 (SB 189) amended Sections 3351 and 3352 of the California Labor Code, allowing more corporate officers, and/or directors and owners of professional corporations to waive workers’ compensation insurance coverage.   The following summarizes the SB 189 changes, effective July 1, 2018: Corporations: The stock ownership requirement for exclusion eligibility for officers and directors is reduced from 15 …