News

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has put a major strain on every aspect of daily life around the world, including the United States. As spread of the disease shows no sign of slowing down, there is a steadily increasing concern in the United States regarding the health and wellness of not only our citizens, but the…

March 23, 2020 As we begin our week, we thought it was important to provide you with an update. We realize you are receiving many updates from many sources. Our goal is to provide you with timely, meaningful information, tools and resources. Ollis/Akers/Arney implemented our business contingency plan last week (Monday). We are fully operational,…

On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which goes into effect on April 2, 2020. The new law imposes sweeping new emergency paid leave and expanded family medical leave requirements for employers nationwide. Here is a summary of the key provisions affecting employers: EMERGENCY PAID SICK LEAVE…

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 30, 2020 The Missouri Hospital Association appoints Myleah Shrimpton to Statewide Patient and Family Advisory Council SPRINGFIELD, MO – The Missouri Hospital Association (MHA) announced the appointment of Myleah Shrimpton, Director of Claims for Ollis/Akers/Arney Insurance & Business Advisors, to The MHA Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC).…

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has asserted once again that employers must include nondiscretionary bonuses in their employee’s regular wage rate calculations. In a new opinion letter, the DOL outlines how employers may go about allocating lump sum nondiscretionary bonuses that cover more than one workweek. The issue of bonus allocation is important because…

Overview On Dec. 31. 2019, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued the 2020 optional standard mileage rates, which are used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes. The 2020 standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be:…

Overview Many employee benefits are subject to annual dollar limits that are periodically increased for inflation. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced cost-of-living adjustments to the annual dollar limits for various welfare and retirement plan limits for 2020. Although some of the limits will remain the same, most of the limits will increase for…

On Friday, Aug. 31, 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an advisory warning consumers of the dangers of vaping after over 215 cases of mysterious lung disease have occurred. The advisory also urges consumers to refrain from purchasing cannabis and e-cigarette products off the street, and stop modifying vaping devices. Vaping-related…

Performance Management is an important part of a company’s quality assurance and employee engagement strategies. Many companies formally evaluate an employee’s performance and progress after an initial introductory period and then again on an annual or semi-annual basis. Although performance evaluations can improve productivity and employee morale, many employers do not make them a high…

You may recall the U.S. Department of Labor proposed changes to the white-collar exemption rule in 2015 that had employers scrambling to implement the proposed increase to the minimum salary requirement for exempt workers. That proposal was blocked by a federal court in Texas in late 2016. However, there were benefits from that exercise. Many…