On September 9, 2021, President Biden announced new policies requiring employers with greater than 100 employees to require workers to be fully vaccinated or to produce a negative test result on at least a weekly basis before reporting to work, if remaining unvaccinated. Rapid at-home tests will become more widely available to the public, which are FSA and HSA approved.
Approximately two thirds of all US employees will be affected by this new measure. The President’s plan is to reduce the number of unvaccinated Americans by using regulatory powers and other actions to substantially increase the number of Americans covered by vaccination requirements.
This action plan will be carried out under a rule developed by the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which will issue an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to implement this requirement. The requirement will impact over 80 million workers in private sector businesses. Compliance and enforcement will be spelled out in the coming weeks.
Executive Orders were signed directing Federal Agencies to require a majority of federal workers and contract workers that do business with the Federal Government to be fully vaccinated. As a result, the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Indian Health Service, and the National Institute of Health will complete implementation of their previously announced vaccination requirements that will cover 2.5 million people.
President Biden’s administration laid out the following six-part action plan steps.
- Vaccinating the Unvaccinated-
- Further Protecting the Vaccinated-
- Keeping Schools Safely Open-
- Increasing Testing & Requiring Masking-
- Protecting Our Economic Recovery-
- Improving Care for those with COVID-19-
This plan will ensure that every available tool to combat COVID-19 is employed while saving lives in the months ahead.
Since July of 2021, employers, schools, nursing homes, restaurants, most healthcare settings, hospitals, and cities in all 50 states, have announced new vaccination requirements. 90% of all jobs being posted require vaccination. Keeping businesses and schools open and safe, while protecting our economy from lockdowns and further damage is critical.
SPS/GZ will be watching closely to see how OSHA issues compliance guidance to businesses as implementation and tracking policy measures unfold. We will post information here as it becomes available. SPS/GZ is a full-service tax reporting firm that provides personalized service and exceptional support, utilizing state-of-the-art technology to create and e-file Forms 1099, Affordable Care Act tax forms, and Forms 3921 and 3922. Reach out today at sales@greenzapato.com or call at (888)375-3049.
