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Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Resources

Skip Navigation LinksIFEBP>News>Featured Topics>Coronavirus Resources

The coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic is a rapidly evolving situation, impacting organizations across North America and the world. This page is your guide to the latest government and workplace resources so you can help navigate your organization through this time of uncertainty.

​International Foundation Resources

  • Virtual Conference—Global Benefits in a Rapidly Changing World

    Virtual Conference—Global Benefits in a Rapidly Changing World

    Join us August 6, 2020 to learn more about managing global benefits

    [More]
  • Accounting and Auditing Institute for Employee Benefit Plans—Join Us Virtually August 10-13, 2020

    Accounting and Auditing Institute for Employee Benefit Plans—Join Us Virtually August 10-13, 2020

    Register today and take advantage of this opportunity to stay educated

    [More]
  • Virtual Conference—Investments in Today's Climate and Beyond

    Virtual Conference—Investments in Today's Climate and Beyond

    ​Register today for this virtual conference taking place August 18-19, 2020

    [More]
  • Virtual Conference: Health Disparities and Social Inequality: The Role of Wellness—August 26-27, 2020

    Virtual Conference: Health Disparities and Social Inequality: The Role of Wellness—August 26-27, 2020

    Learn actionable steps to support sustainable change by registering today.

    [More]
  • U.S. Employer Outlook: Benefit Strategies for the Future

    U.S. Employer Outlook: Benefit Strategies for the Future

    Register now to join us virtually September 1-3 and 8-10, 2020

    [More]
  • Virtual Conference—Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 on Workers and Their Families

    Virtual Conference—Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 on Workers and Their Families

    ​Join us September 15-18, 2020 to ensure your benefits are adequate and timely

    [More]
  • Virtual Conference—Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 and Their Families

    Virtual Conference—Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 and Their Families

    ​Join us September 15-18, 2020 to ensure your benefits are designed to provide adequate and timely assistance

    [More]
  • Virtual Conference—Global Benefits in a Rapidly Changing World

    Virtual Conference—Global Benefits in a Rapidly Changing World

    Join us August 6, 2020 to learn more about managing global benefits

    [More]
  • Virtual Conference—Investments in Today's Climate and Beyond

    Virtual Conference—Investments in Today's Climate and Beyond

    Register today for this virtual conference taking place August 18-19, 2020

    [More]
  • VIRTUAL EVENT: 53rd Annual Canadian Employee Benefits Conference | September 29-October 8, 2020

    VIRTUAL EVENT: 53rd Annual Canadian Employee Benefits Conference | September 29-October 8, 2020

    ​Take advantage of this unique learning opportunity by registering to attend!

    [More]
  • New Report: Five Changes Canadian Workplaces Have Made During COVID-19

    New Report: Five Changes Canadian Workplaces Have Made During COVID-19

    ​Check out the results from the latest report to learn more about the workplace and COVID-19 

    [More]
  • Canadian Employer Outlook: Benefit Strategies for the Future

    Canadian Employer Outlook: Benefit Strategies for the Future

    ​Join us October 14-16 & 21-23, 2020. Register today to ensure your organization is ready for the future

    [More]

COVID-19 Survey Report

COVID-19 Blogs

Webcasts

Ask Your Peers

Ask a Benefits Expert

Coronavirus Stories

 

Additional Resources


Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)

Paid Leave Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act Temporary Rule [DOL]

Reporting Qualified Sick Leave Wages and Qualified Family Leave WagesPaid on Form W-2 [IRS Notice 2020-54]

Determining Your FFCRA Eligibility Tool [DOL]

FFCRA, CARES Act and COVID-19 Health Coverage Issues Part 42 & Part 43 [DOL & HHS]

Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA): Questions and Answers [DOL]

FFCRA Leave & Summer Program Closures [DOL FAB 2020-4]

COVID-19 and the American Workplace [DOL]

FFCRA Presentation Slides and Webinar [DOL]

Employer Expanded Family and Medical Leave Requirements [DOL]

FFCRA Notice FAQs [DOL]

Poster on Employee Rights [DOL]

Gaps in the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Law for Health Care Workers [Kaiser Family Foundation]

FFCRA Multiemployer Alert [Milliman]

DOL Issues New Guidance on COVID-19, the FFCRA, the FMLA and the FLSA [Foley & Lardner]

DOL Issues Regulations Implementing Emergency Paid Sick and Paid FMLA Law [FMLA Insights]

FFCRA Documentation and Record Keeping [Ice Miller]

Health Plan Continuation for Those Taking EPSLA or EFMLEA Protected Leave [Graydon]

Government Resources

Guidance on Waiver of 2020 Required Minimum Distributions Under the CARES Act [IRS Notice 2020-51]
Coronavirus-Related Distributions and Loans from Retirement Plans Under the CARES Act [IRS Notice 2020-50]

CARES Act FAQs for Single-Employer Plan Sponsors [PBGC]

Guidance on Returning to Work [OSHA]

Medical Loss Ratio Form and Rebates Relaxed Enforcement in Response to COVID-19 [CMS]
COVID-19 FAQs [OSHA]

Mid-Year Reductions or Suspensions of Contributions to Safe Harbor Plans [IRS Notice 2020-52]

Temporary Relief from the Physical Presence Requirement for Spousal Consents Under Qualified Retirement Plans [IRS Notice 2020-42]

Administrative Relief: Deadlines Applicable to Employment Taxes, Employee Benefits, and Exempt Organizations Affected by Pandemic [IRS Notice 2020-35]

Employer Leave-Based Donation Programs to Aid Victims of the COVID-19 [IRS Notice 2020-46]

Coronavirus-Related Relief for Retirement Plans and IRAs [IRS]
COVID-19 Employer Information for Office Buildings [CDC]

COVID-19 Guidance on Section 125 Plan Mid-Year Changes and High Deductible Health Plans [IRS Notice 2020-29]

Coronavirus Tax Relief [IRS]

Guidance and Relief for Employee Benefit Plans Due to the COVID-19 Outbreak [EBSA Disaster Relief Notice 2020-01]

Extension of Certain Time Frames for Employee Benefit Plans, Participants, andBeneficiaries Affected by the COVID-19 Outbreak Final Rule [DOL & IRS]

COVID-19 FAQs for Participants andBeneficiaries: ERISA Rights & Responsibilities [DOL]

FAQs on Essential Health Benefit Coverage and the Coronavirus [CMS]

High Deductible Health Plans and Expenses Related to COVID-19 [IRS Notice 2020-15]

What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws [EEOC]

Ten Steps All Workplaces Can Take to Reduce Risk of Exposure to Coronavirus [OSHA]

Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19 [OSHA]

Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) [CDC]

Resources for Businesses and Employers includes a recorded call for employers with CDC Deputy Director of Infectious Diseases [CDC]

Coronavirus (COVID-19) [CDC]

HIPAA and COVID-19 [HHS Office for Civil Rights]

Federal Government Resources

Government Introduces Draft Regulations Providing Relief for Registered Pension Plans [Department of Finance]

COVID-19 Measures – FAQs for Federally Regulated Private Pension Plans [OSFI]

Questions and Answers on the Canada Emergency Response Benefit [Government of Canada]

Backgrounder: Support to Canadians and businesses affected by COVID-19 [Government of Canada]

Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) [Government of Canada]

Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan [Government of Canada]

OSFI Actions to Address Issues Stemming from COVID-19 [OSFI]

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) [Health Canada]

COVID-19 Spring 2020 Notices [Employment and Social Development Canada]

Provincial Government Resources 

Draft Regulation: Measures related to supplemental pension plans to reduce the consequences of the public health emergency declared on 13 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic [Government of Québec]

Back to Work in Manitoba Wage Subsidy Program [Government of Manitoba]

EPPA Update 20-04 - Additional COVID-19 Relief Measures [Alberta Superintendent of Pensions]

Develop your COVID-19 workplace safety plan [Government of Ontario]

EPPA Update 20-03 - Additional COVID-19 Relief [Alberta Superintendent of Pensions]

Pension Sector Emergency Management Response [FSRA Ontario]

Support for Nova Scotians, businesses and health care [Government of Nova Scotia]

EPPA Update 20-01: COVID-19 Relief Measures [Alberta Superintendent of Pensions]

COVID-19: Relief Measures for Pension Plans in British Columbia [BC Financial Services Authority]

Provincial Health Websites

Workplace Resources

Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy: Proposed Extension until December 19, 2020 and Redesign [Bennett Jones]

Back to Work in Manitoba Wage Subsidy Program [MLT Aikins]

Should employers rely on COVID-19 home test kits? [Human Resources Director]

Masks and the workplace: what Ontario employers need to know [First Reference]

Managing Employees’ Return to the Workplace [Lawson Lundell]

COVID-19 and Work Refusals as Canada Reopens: Legal and Practical Considerations [Littler]

Top 5 Employer Questions on the Canada Emergency Response Benefit [Blakes]

COVID-19 and the Workplace: Remote Working Legal Considerations and Recommendations [Aird Berlis]

Best Practices for Returning to Work and Operating a Business During COVID-19: An Employer's Guide to Reopening Physical Workplaces [Bennett Jones]

The Employer’s COVID-19 Return to the Workplace Playbook [Osler]

Temperature Screening at Workplaces: A “HOT” Topic Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic [Gowling]

FAQ’s: COVID-19 and the Workplace [Mathews Dinsdale]

COVID-19 Quick-Reference Considerations for Employers [Osler]

           


Health Plans

Additional guidance on COVID-19 diagnostic testing coverage mandate [Buck]

COBRA Coverage – FAQ for the COVID-19 Economy [Mintz]

COBRA in the Time of COVID-19 [Foley & Lardner]

Employee Benefit Changes Under the CARES Act [Thompson Coburn] 
Employer health plans have to meet new COVID-19 coverage mandate [Mercer]

New Coronavirus Legislation and Its Impact on Health Plans [Quarles & Brady]

New IRS Guidance on Mid-Year Safe Harbor Suspension During COVID-19 [Morgan Lewis]

Leave Donation Programs for COVID-19 [Groom]

COVID-19: Life and Disability Insurance Coverage [Barclay Damon]

CARES Act Brings Compensation, Benefits, and Payroll Tax Changes [Morgan Lewis]

Dependent Care Assistance Programs & COVID-19 [GCG Financial]

Global/Multinational

Director-General declares the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic [WHO]

Getting your workplace ready for COVID-19 [WHO]

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic [WHO]

Back to Business: Checklist for Multinational Employers [Mayer Brown]

International Employment Challenges Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic [Epstein Becker Green]

COVID-19 Global Employer Guide [Baker McKenzie]

Retirement Plans

New Temporary Relief Measures for Supplemental Pension Plans in Quebec [Blakes]

How are pension plans conducting due diligence amid physical distancing? [Canadian Investment Review]

Department of Finance Announces Additional Relief Measures Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic [Bennett Jones]

Practical considerations in pension plan administration during COVID-19 [Borden Ladner Gervais]

Navigating pension fiduciary duties during coronavirus pandemic [Benefits Canada]

Ontario Issues New Guidance to Pension Plan Administrators and Sponsors Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic [Bennett Jones]

Pension plan regulatory relief and COVID-19 relief measures: A summary [Miller Thomson]

Pension Regulatory Guidance and Measures Related to COVID-19 Pandemic (Updated) [Bennett Jones]

How to ease pension plan member anxiety when they can’t access funds [Benefits Canada]

Other Benefit Plans 

Employees on “Stress Leave” — Tips for Handling Employee Requests to Remain Off Work [MLT Aikins]

Carry Forward of Health Care Spending Account Credits Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic [Bennett Jones]

Update No. 2: Considerations for Pensions and Benefits During COVID-19 [Blakes]

Cross-Country Review of New Leaves of Absence Created in Response to the COVID-19 Crisis [Littler]

Employers taking many approaches to leave, benefits during coronavirus pandemic [Benefits Canada]

Drug plan considerations during the coronavirus pandemic [Benefits Canada]

Should plan sponsors shift their benefits plan spend during coronavirus? [Benefits Canada]

Ontario Employer-Provided Benefits During a Layoff or Leave of Absence [MacDonald & Associates]                 

Global/Multinational Resources

Back to Business: Checklist for Multinational Employers [Mayer Brown]

What does the Covid-19 pandemic mean for international benefit strategies? [Employee Benefits Co UK]

International Employment Challenges Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic [Epstein Becker Green]

Covid-19 Watch: Considering Curves [Alan Whiteside]

Director-General declares the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic [WHO]

Getting your workplace ready for COVID-19 [WHO]

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic [WHO]

COVID-19 Global Employer Guide [Baker McKenzie]