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The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) passed in 1993 extended legal rights and protections to employees caring for themselves or family members in times of medical need.

The FMLA can be difficult for both employees and employers to navigate. And, as with many laws, gaps in coverage cause result in situations that are fundamentally unfair or divergent from the purpose of the law. Unfortunately, our men and women serving in the military and their families were not explicitly covered by this pre-911 law.

The Small Business Administration is urging victims of the Atlanta Georgia area flooding that occurred from September 18 through October 8, 2009, to complete and return applications for emergency assistance and loans by November 23, 2009.

The SBA is concerned that many business and home owners will not have settled with their insurance company by that time. Thus, the victim will not know what portion of the damage will be covered by insurance and what portion will need to be covered by a loan. The SBA is urging victims to complete and return the paperwork even if the amount of the insurance settlement is unknown. The SBA will make the full loan in return for reimbursement when settlement insurance proceeds are recovered.

It is open enrollment season for many employer-sponsored health plans. 2010 figures to be an interesting year as employers look at ways to trim costs and provide for their employees. Employers provide such benefits to encourage retention and to retain high-value employees and open enrollment offers the employer the challenge of educating the employee about their benefits. I have an article with helpful tips for employers working through open enrollment.

Another factor this year is the effect of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA). This Act will be in effect for 2010 health plans and prevents employers from seeking genetic information for purposes of determining health plan premium rates.

I visited Washington, D.C. over the weekend, arriving last Thursday. My thanks goes to the Office of Congresswoman Betty Sutton for arranging and guiding my kids on an excellent tour of the U.S. Capitol.

The weather was terrible, but it was exciting to be “inside the beltway” during a time when the health insurance reform debate is in full swing. It is easy to direct anger at “Congress” as a generic concept. However, when you walk the halls of the Longworth or Rayburn buildings where the Representatives work, it really puts a human face on federal government. Small offices, diligent staff, red badges, green badges, vending machines, security, and a House Floor that is really not as big as it looks on CSPAN, are all images that remain with me.

During press briefings last week, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs stated, in answer to questions about employment and job creation, that the White House may be looking at extending COBRA premium assistance past January 1, 2010. Mr. Gibbs stated, “the President — some of the things the President is talking about there — obviously there are a number of ideas that have been implemented that are coming to a legislative end, whether it is…extending certain unemployment benefits, whether we’re looking at the notion of extending some of the COBRA benefits.”