New DOL Rules on Same Sex Marriage and the FMLA
Under the current law, legally married couples can apply for emergency leave to care for their partners under the Family and Medical leave Act if they reside in a state where same-sex marriage is legal. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage an
Termination of the Dentist/Patient Relationship
Almost every practicing dentist has experienced a problem patient. He or she may skip appointments, have unrealistic expectations, fail to pay bills, or simply be noncompliant with recommended care and treatment. Under certain circumstances, a
Welcome to the HBS Correctional Healthcare Blog
Welcome to the HBS Correctional Health care Practice Group BLOG. In this, our first entry, we offer an overview of the law that governs lawsuits brought by inmates against health care practitioners in correctional settings. In 1976, the Unit
Tennessee Employers and Social Media
Tennessee’s new law prohibits employers, including government entities, from requesting or requiring access to the private social networking or online accounts of employees and job applicants. The Employee Online Privacy Act of 2014, signed by
The FMLA and Holidays; Paid or Unpaid?
As we approach July 4th and Labor Day, employers are often asked about how Company approved holidays interact with FMLA leave. DOES THE HOLIDAY COUNT AGAINST THE 12/26 WEEKS TOTAL? An employee is entitled to up to 12 workweeks of FMLA leave for
The Claimant had a Stroke While at Work and Has Suffered Ongoing Medical Problems. Is This a Compensable Injury?
For starters, looking to the relevant code section, O.C.G.A. §34-9-1(4) recognizes “strokes” as being potentially compensable. Specifically, in relevant part, this code section states: “”Injury” or “personal injury” means only i
Interpreters for Deaf Patients and the ADA
A federal district court in Florida holds that a hospital providing medical services to deaf patients could use video relay interpretation, passed written notes, and gestures to meet the hospital’s obligation under the Americans With disabilit
What To Do if Your H-1B is Denied
For the fiscal year 2015 filing period, from April 1, 2014, to April 7, 2014, approximately 172,500 H-1B petitions were filed. As USCIS received 87,500 more petitions than it could otherwise accept, a lottery was conducted to determine which t
When to file STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) OPT Extensions
Optional practical training (OPT) for F-1 students is typically limited to twelve months and must be completed within fourteen months of the student’s graduation. However, some students may be eligible for an additional seventeen months of OPT
Verizon 2014 Data Breach Investigations Report Is Here
Verizon has released its latest Data Breach Investigations Report, and its 2014 edition is better than ever! Verizon studied 1,367 confirmed data breaches, and 63,437 security incidents in 95 countries. A breach is defined as an incident that re