Headlines about "Dependent care"

Gathered from the web by the editors at BenefitsLink.com.
Working Moms Taking Less Maternity Leave
"One in four (26%) working moms who have had a child in the last three years reported they did not take the full maternity leave allowed by their company. One in 10 took two weeks or less.... As more moms assume the sole or primary breadwinner role in their households, they�re feeling increasingly torn between providing financial security for their families and having quality time at home[.]" (PLANSPONSOR.com)

Smart Employers Accommodate Needs of Parents in the Workplace
"Smart businesses will recognize that all employees, regardless of their family status, require work/life balance, and that 'families' can be defined in many different ways. Efforts need to be made to accommodate all reasonable requests, and across-the-board fairness has to be our goal. Benefit packages today can be designed with flexibility and choice, ensuring that family situations don't result in inequality." (Kitsay Peninsula Business Journal)

Preparing for a Future that Includes Aging Parents
"Experts say any serious plan for caring for aging parents must begin -- not with discussions about money -- but with a legal document designating someone as having 'power of attorney.' That paperwork grants authority to another individual to handle decisions if a loved one can't make them as a result of illness or memory loss.... Once the legal paperwork is done, families can turn to an array of sources for legitimate advice on boosting savings, buying appropriate insurance and maximizing home equity. For example, many employers offer workplace benefits that include free financial planning services." (NPR)

IRS Explanation for Effect of Statute of Limitations on Adoption Credit Carryforwards
"This [Chief Counsel Advice memorandum] confirms that, notwithstanding the statute of limitations, the refund window remains open for credits incurred from 2005 through 2009 that could not have been used in a year that is closed, at least until 2010 also becomes a closed tax year." (Thomson Reuters/EBIA)

The Affordable Care Act and Women
"The Affordable Care Act includes several provisions that are expected to significantly improve women's health. The [ACA] improves coverage for important preventive services and maternity care, promotes higher quality care for older women, and bans health insurers from requiring women to pay more for the same insurance coverage as men. Over 1 million young adult women have already gained health insurance coverage because of the [ACA] and an estimated 13 million more uninsured women will gain coverage by 2016." (Department of Health and Human Services, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation)

Ensure Compliance with Reform Law's Lactation Room Requirements
"[R]esearch studies showing that 'lactation programs resulted in a 77 percent reduction in lost work time due to infant illness' and that 'one-day absences occur twice as often for employees whose babies are not breastfed.' In addition, employees of companies providing lactation support say they feel more productive and loyal to the company." (Society for Human Resource Management)

House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections Hearing: 'Ensuring Regulations Protect Access to Affordable and Quality Companion Care'
"[The March 7, 2012] hearing will provide members an opportunity to examine the potential consequences of [the] proposal, including fewer hours of work for employees; higher costs for taxpayers, seniors, and individuals with disabilities; and fewer opportunities to receive in-home care." (House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Subcommittee on Workforce Protections)

Employers Slow to Nurture Breastfeeding Break Rule; DOL Begins Enforcement
"Regardless of whether or not employees are aware, the Department of Labor has started enforcing the law, meaning employers can no longer plead ignorance of the new requirements. In fiscal year 2011, 23 companies were investigated for violations and 15 received citations, according to a DOL spokeswoman." (SmartHR)

Employers' Caring for the Caregivers
"As sporadic caregiving tasks transition into heavy responsibilities, employees could use some help from their employers. Here are three lessons for HR leaders to help their workers balance caring for loved ones with their productivity at work." (Human Resource Executive Online)

Culture Key to Work-Life Programs: AOL Benefits Build Culture of Trust
"In the larger world of work-life and family-friendly programs, we have found that company culture is one of the main factors that determines the success of these programs and that, in turn, work-life programs can be a tool for a real cultural revolution." (Employee Benefit News)

[Official Guidance] Bill Text for H.R.3820: Elder Care Tax Credit Act of 2012
"To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the dependent care credit to take into account expenses for care of parents and grandparents who do not live with the taxpayer." (The Library of Congress)

[Guidance Overview] IRS's 2011 Form 8839 (Qualified Adoption Expenses) and Instructions
"The revised instructions complete the transformation of Form 8839 to a system of refundable credits. Unfortunately for both the IRS and taxpayers, however, that system was temporary and expired at the end of 2011. Unless an extension is enacted, the credit carryforward rules will return for 2012, and the IRS will have to revise Form 8839 yet again next year." (Thomson Reuters/EBIA)

Child Care Subsidies, Maternal Well-Being, and Child-Parent Interactions
"[The] findings suggest that work-based public policies aimed at economically disadvantaged mothers may ultimately undermine family well-being." (National Bureau of Economic Research; paid subscription or individual purchase required to retrieve fulltext)

Prepare for Higher Child Care and Commuting Costs in 2012
"Thanks to little-known factors such as lower transit and child care benefits, some workers can expect to have their net pay decrease by several hundred dollars this year as new federal regulations rolled out Jan. 1." (Reuters via Employee Benefit News)

IRS Issues 2011 Versions of Publications on Medical and Dental Expenses and on Child and Dependent Care Expenses
"Pub. 502 provides valuable guidance on what qualifies as a medical expense under Code ? 213(d), and thus, helps identify the expenses that may be reimbursed or paid by health FSAs, HSAs, or HRAs." (Thomson Reuters/EBIA)

Breast-Feeding at Work Now Protected by Law
"The Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law in March 2010, amended the Fair Labor Standards Act, and for the first time employers are now federally mandated to provide women with breaks and a place to breastfeed. The final rules regarding the law have not been finalized, but that hasn't stopped the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour division's enforcers from going after employers who don't make accommodations for working moms who want to pump." (msnbc.com)

Maternity Leave and Employment Patterns of First-Time Mothers: 1961?2008 (PDF)
"The report first analyzes trends in women's work experience prior to their first birth and the factors associated with employment during pregnancy. Changes are placed in the historical context of the enactment of family-related legislation during the last quarter of the twentieth century." (U.S. Census Bureau)

Half of Working Women Who Gave Birth Did Not Receive Paid Maternity Leave, According to Census Report
"[A] higher percentage of women were being fired from their jobs either during or after their first pregnancy between 2006 and 2008 than had been over the prior 30 years, the report found." (Business Insurance)

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