Online tool can help restaurateurs meet Oct. 1 notification deadline
September 5, 2013 – (Washington, D.C.) The National Restaurant Association has launched a new tool to help restaurateurs notify employees about new government-run health insurance marketplaces.
The online employee-notification tool, available at Restaurant.org/Notify, is designed to help employers meet an Oct. 1 federal deadline to notify employees about government-run health insurance exchanges.
“As changes begin to unfold under the health care law in the coming weeks and months, the National Restaurant Association will continue to expand the resources and tools we provide to help our members navigate the complexities of the law,” said Phil Kafarakis, Chief Innovations and Member Advancement Officer, National Restaurant Association.
The online tool is available exclusively to National Restaurant Association members as a benefit of membership.
Among other provisions, the health care law creates a new section of the Fair Labor Standards Act that require employers to provide existing employees with basic information about exchanges by Oct. 1, including letting employees know they may be eligible for federal tax subsidies to buy health plans through exchanges. The mandate applies to all employers covered by the FLSA. Starting in 2014, employers will be required to provide employees with the FLSA notice within 14 days of hiring, according to the Department of Labor.
Exchanges are set to open in every state on Oct. 1 to begin offering millions of Americans new options for buying health insurance for 2014.
The National Restaurant Association’s Notification Tool offers online registration that guides an employer through the law’s required information process so that all employees can be properly notified when they access the site.
“Members who register to use the tool can create online portals to tell their employees about exchanges, track which employees they’ve notified, and keep on- and offline records to document which employees have received the notice,” Kafarakis added.
The Notification Tool is part of the National Restaurant Association’s Health Care Reform Headquarters. The one-stop shop offers NRA members information about how the law affects restaurant businesses, including a Health Care Law Primer that covers key aspects of the law for restaurant employers. The Health Care Reform Headquarters will later offer a marketplace to help restaurant employers and employees shop for Affordable Care Act-compliant health plans.
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Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises 980,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of more than 13 million employees. We represent the industry in Washington, D.C., and advocate on its behalf. We operate the industry’s largest trade show (NRA Show May 17-20, 2014, in Chicago); leading food safety training and certification program (ServSafe); unique career-building high school program (the NRAEF’s ProStart); as well as the Kids LiveWell program promoting healthful kids’ menu options. For more information, visit www.restaurant.org and find us on Twitter @WeRRestaurants, Facebook and YouTube.