 COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions
When COVID-19 was first declared a pandemic, we started collecting your questions to create a COVID-19 collection of your frequently asked questions (FAQs). Because the situation has been changing almost daily, we have been continually updating and revising these questions and responses over the last several weeks.
Bookmark this page for all of the COVID-19 FAQs and our responses.
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Because the situation is continually evolving, we want to host another webinar addressing your COVID-19 questions related to insurance and risk management. Please join us next Wednesday, May 6th for an update on our risk management recommendations. Register here and submit your questions.
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COVID-19 Employment Alert: Workers' Compensation Audits
Workers' compensation coverage is paid in arrears. At the end of your policy term, we audit your payroll, asking that the employer report the actual payroll for the previous year. If the employer's payroll came in higher than expected, additional workers' compensation premium is charged; conversely, if the employer's payroll was lower than expected, workers' compensation premium is returned to the employer.
 COVID-19 is obviously impacting payroll in many varied and significant ways. Currently, several states have made emergency exceptions to their workers' compensation audit regulations. The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) is a U.S. insurance rating and data collection bureau specializing in workers' compensation that most state insurance departments use to determine workers' compensation rates. NCCI is currently trying to expedite a consistent ruling and recommendation regarding workers' compensation audits impacted by COVID-19 that would likely be used by all states. For more specific information, refer to the NCCI COVID-19 webpage or scroll down to your specific state in the NCCI listing of state specific workers' compensation updates.
Most importantly for our clients at this point: we want to remind you to keep very clear records regarding payroll paid. At year-end, employers will likely be able to exclude payroll from this period in your audit that you will return to MJ Sorority, likely providing you with a modest savings on your final workers' compensation premium. Although we are not exactly sure how each state insurance department will handle their audit regulations during this extraordinary time, if you are keeping clear records, you will be in the best position to adhere to their guidelines.
We will be specifically citing this new exception in our audit letters that go out to employers at the end of the policy term, but we also wanted to give employers an extra heads-up, so that employers could make any necessary adjustments to take advantage of any financial relief that might be available at audit time.
Should you have any questions, please contact your organization's Client Executive.
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Important Terms for Housing Agreements: Updated Version with New Verbiage
We review and publish the Important Terms for Housing Agreements each year in February for the MJ Housing Forum. Each year, we update the document based on trends and questions that Mark Sausser and Heather Moore from Faegre Drinker see, as well as any trends that MJ Sorority is seeing from our part in your contract reviews.
We are all learning from the current experience of broad closings due to the COVID-19 global pandemic and took the opportunity to work with Mark and Heather to provide new language that we suggest that you add to future agreements to clarify closures caused by public health emergencies.
The language Mark suggested follows:
Unexpected House Closure. In addition to the other termination rights granted to House Corporation in this Agreement, House Corporation may close the Chapter House and require the members to vacate the same in the event such action is required or encouraged by the University, or if the University has or will cancel or suspend in-person classes, whether due to public health emergencies, pandemics, communicable disease outbreaks or any other reason. In such case, the determination of whether payments made by or due from Member will be credited against future payments (or, with regard to seniors, refunded) will be made on a case by case basis, considering all factors, including the length of time the Chapter House is closed and the fixed expenses incurred by the House Corporation.
The revised resource with amended language is available on our website.
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COVID-19 Communication & Resources
Most of us are entering into our seventh week of quarantine. Here at MJ Sorority, we are doing our best to provide helpful resources and communicate as thoroughly as possible. To that end, we wanted to remind you of the resources we have created or collected in case you have missed any in the deluge of emails and information.
- Our weekly emails began on February 26th, and they are all available at the top of our COVID-19 Response Page, as well as additional resources that we have created regarding employment issues, decontamination, mental health, and more.
- We have recorded several webinars:
- We have used your feedback to populate our COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions
For many more resources, helpful articles, and suggested websites, make sure that you have bookmarked our MJ Sorority COVID-19 Response Page.
In addition, we also recommend that you review the myriad of resources available on the MJ Insurance COVID-19 Response Page.
As we move forward, we want our resources and communications to best serve you. Ify ou haven't already, would you mind to take a few minutes to help us improve our current offerings by taking this short survey?
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Upcoming Webinars This Week
There is so much great content being developed right now, and we wanted to highlight several upcoming webinars that we thought might be valuable for our clients:
Back to Business: Employer Considerations for Resuming Operations
Thu, Apr 30, 2020 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT
Register here
As the Trump Administration, state and local governments contemplate lifting stay-at-home orders and workplace restrictions, business leaders should be proactively preparing a plan to get “Back to Business.” Or for those deemed essential, a plan to continue or expand operations in our new normal.
Join us for a panel discussion where we'll review key medical, legal and safety considerations as you contemplate your return-to-work plan. While much of the specifics surrounding exactly how to reopen or ramp up operations will be dependent upon state and local regulations, our experts—including a doctor, lawyer and certified safety professional—will provide guidance behind the Why, When, How, and What to do as you prepare to bring employees back into the workplace.
How Each Generation is Responding to COVID-19: How do we take care of our employees right now?
Tuesday, April 28, 2020 12 PM EDT
Register here
In this webinar, Lindsay Boccardo, coach and Millenial expert, will talk about:
- Leadership styles across generations (and what that looks like during COVID) – trust me, Millennials are looking for something very specific from you!
- Unique challenges of each generation during this time at home and how you can use empathy and coaching skills to help each person on your team.
- A preview of what your team will need from you on the other side of this quarantine.
Zoomed Out: Talking Resiliency with Ann Betz and Lindsay Boccardo
Thursday, April 30, 2020 4 PM EDT
Register here
How to Survive the Screen, the Groundhog Day Effect and the Unknown.
What is it about Zoom calls that’s so exhausting? What DAY OF THE WEEK IS IT? If you’re like me, you might be feeling extra drained after staring at tiny faces for an hour. Why isn’t this filling our cup and helping us feel deeply connected? And what can we do about it?
We are bringing Ann Betz BACK to the porch to talk about something that matters - your mental health while facing the unknown and too many Zooms.
Together we’ll talk about the Neuroscience behind connection - and why Zoom doesn’t cut it. We’ll talk about resiliency - how to build it, and how to keep your momentum while we face an uncertain future.
Ironically, yes, this is on a Zoom call. We recommend putting on audio and GOING FOR A WALK while listening to us.
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COVID-19 Response
We have created a page on our website for our resources and FAQs related to COVID-19. This situation is very fluid and changing hour-by-hour, so be sure to bookmark this page and continue to refer to it for additional information as we have it.
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WEBINAR: MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE
The short and long-term mental health effects of COVID-19 are a top concern for many, as are the physical consequences. According to the CDC, mental health disorders are among the most burdensome health concerns in the United States. Nearly 1 in 5 adults aged 18 or older (18.3% or 44.7 million people) reported suffering from a mental health condition in 2016, and 1 in 2 are at risk of developing one. And now with the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), stress and anxiety are at an all-time high.
Poor mental health and stress can negatively affect an employee’s job performance and productivity, engagement with their work, communication with coworkers, and even their physical capability to function. Now more than ever, it is extremely important that employers build awareness and provide employees with resources to improve mental health and stress management.
Join Cynthia L. Reynolds, LCSW, LCAC of Reynolds and Associates Counseling as she provides practical guidance to employers on:
- Navigating discussions surrounding mental health in the workplace
- Common signs an employee needs mental health assistance
- How to support employees in need of mental health services
- What mental health resources may be available to employers
- And more!
THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020
2:00-3:00 PM ET/1:00-2:00 PM CT/11:00 AM-NOON PT
Register here.
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