Coronavirus Advisory Resource Library
This Coronavirus resource library will continue to reside on our website and contains relevant information for a wide variety of our customers, suddenly navigating very rough terrain. We have attempted to answer questions about state-by-state unemployment law changes and provide resources available for you to download. Our live teams are available to support commercial insurance stakeholders as well as HR and benefits managers as they address challenges related to this evolving situation. Please call 1 (888) 892-7688 to reach a live representative.
How Can You Manage This Fast-Changing Situation? Safegard is offering best practices recommendations that businesses can take to protect employees and operations while simultaneously managing virus preparedness, response and risk management. We will also continue to provide up-to-date information on the services being offered by insurance carriers, such as waived copays for testing and telemedicine options, as well as documents our customers can use to develop their crisis plans, responses and communications.
The pace of change with this crisis is unprecedented, so we adapt our resources continuously. Please know that you have an advocate and a partner in the Safegard Group to help you manage through this change. Please check back regularly for new resources and content.
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Safegard Advisories | Essential Resources | Insurance Coverage & Claims | Employee Benefits
The Business Perspective | Law Firm Resources | Management Consulting Resources | Self-Care & Social Distancing
Newest resources are highlighted in grey in the list below.
Safegard Advisories
- “How to Win the WC War, or At Least Feel Like You Have a Fighting Chance!” by Lisa Hale (Added 04/24/2020)
- “It’s Time for Change without the Disruption…” by Nick Gaudiosi (Added 04/22/2020)
- “Payroll Considerations Related to Workers’ Compensation Insurance” by Apurva Upadhyay (Added 04/20/2020)
- “Payroll Considerations Related to Workers’ Compensation Insurance (Part 2)” by Apurva Upadhyay (Added 05/06/2020)
- Know Your Benefits: Coronavirus Stimulus Direct Payments FAQ (Added 03/30/2020)
- Safety Tips: Grocery Shopping During the Coronavirus Outbreak (Added 03/30/2020)
- Social Distancing and the Risk Impacts on Employers Cyber Security Position (PDF) (Added 03/27/2020)
- Savoy: Carrier Benefits Coronavirus Chart (PDF) (Added 03/26/2020)
- U.S. Department of Labor (DOL): Paid Sick Leave and Expanded Family and Medical Leave Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (PDF) (Added 03/26/2020)
- U.S. DOL: Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Employee Paid Leave Rights (PDF) (Added 03/26/2020)
- U.S. DOL: Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Employer Paid Leave Requirements (PDF) (Added 03/26/2020)
- U.S. DOL: Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Questions and Answers (PDF) (Added 03/26/2020)
- HR Compliance Bulletin: DOL Outlines Coronavirus Relief Law’s Paid Leave Requirements (PDF) (Added 03/26/2020)
- HR Compliance Bulletin: Coronavirus and the Workplace – Compliance Issues for Employers (PDF) (Added 03/26/2020)
- Safegard Group’s HR & Benefits Advisory – COVID-19 (PDF) (Added 03/24/2020)
- AHIP FAQs (PDF) (Added 03/24/2020)
- SHRM Families First Act (PDF) (Added 03/24/2020)
- Business Interruption during Coronavirus (PDF) (Added 03/24/2020)
- COVID-19 Coverage Insights (PDF) (Added 03/24/2020)
- COVID-19 Fact Sheet (PDF) (Added 03/24/2020)
- Coronavirus and FLSA (PDF) (Added 03/24/2020)
- Coronavirus Relief Legislation (PDF) (Added 03/24/2020)
- Cyber Criminals during Pandemics (PDF) (Added 03/24/2020)
- Cyber Remote Work Risks and COVID (PDF) (Added 03/24/2020)
- EEOC & ADA Guidance (PDF) (Added 03/24/2020)
- HIPAA Privacy during COVID-19 (PDF) (Added 03/24/2020)
- HR Compliance Bulletin for Employers (PDF) (Added 03/24/2020)
- IRS Guidance for COVID Paid Leave (PDF) (Added 03/24/2020)
- Legal Update – Emergency Paid Sick Leave (PDF) (Added 03/24/2020)
- OSHA Guidance on COVID-19 (PDF) (Added 03/24/2020)
- Tax Day Delayed (PDF) (Added 03/24/2020)
- Telemedicine and Coronavirus (PDF) (Added 03/24/2020)
- Sample Internal Memo Regarding Coronavirus (Word) (Added 03/24/2020)
- Stradley Ronin: Business Interruption Review (PDF) (Added 03/24/2020)
CARES Act
- Safegard Advisory: CARES Act and Payment Protection Programs (PDF) (Added 04/08/2020)
- Coronavirus (COVID-19): Small Business Guidance & Loans (PDF) (Added 04/08/2020)
- Understanding the Historic $2 Trillion Stimulus Package (PDF) (Added 04/08/2020)
- U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship: The Small Business Owner’s Guide to the CARES Act The programs and initiatives in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (Added 04/08/2020)
- How he CARES Act Loan Program Can Help Your Small Business or Nonprofit (PDF) (Added 04/08/2020)
- Paycheck Protection Program – Bank Notice (Added 04/08/2020)
- Paycheck Protection Program Application Form (Added 04/08/2020)
- Legal Update: CARES Act Expands Health Coverage Rules (Added 03/30/2020)
Return to Work Resources
05/26/20 – Return to Work Webinar Presentation (PDF)
Essential Resources
CDC & WHO Advisories
- CDC: Situation Summary (Added 03/24/2020)
- WHO: Rolling updates on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) (Added 03/24/2020)
- CDC: Frequently Asked Questions (Added 03/24/2020)
State Government Responses
- National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL): State Action on Coronavirus (COVID-19) (Added 03/24/2020)
- Travel.State.Gov: Current Outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Added 03/24/2020)
- USA.gov: State Health Departments (Added 03/24/2020)
- Delaware.gov: For Businesses (Added 03/24/2020)
- Chester County Economic Development Council: COVID-19 Busness Assistance Resources (Added 03/24/2020)
- Delaware County Economic Development (Added 03/24/2020)
- Montgomery County Commerce Department (Added 03/24/2020)
- Bucks County Department of Community and Economic Development (Added 03/24/2020)
Federal & White House Advisories
- U.S. Department of Labor: Coronavirus Resources (Added 03/26/2020)
- White House: Executive Order on Prioritizing and Allocating Health and Medical Resources to Respond to the Spread of Covid-19 (Added 03/24/2020)
- Federal Register: Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Certain Additional Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel Coronavirus/a> (Added 03/24/2020)
- Federal Register: Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak (Added 03/24/2020)
- Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD): HUD Provides Immediate Relief for Homeowners Amid Nationwide Coronavirus Response (Added 03/24/2020)
- Federal Register: Section 337 Investigations; Notice of Commission Determination To Postpone All In-Person Section 337 Hearings Scheduled To Take Place Within the Next 60 Days (Added 03/24/2020)
- Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA): FHFA Suspends Foreclosures and Evictions for Enterprise-Backed Mortgages (Added 03/24/2020)
- Federal Register: Order Under Section 36 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Granting Exemptions From Specified Provisions of the Exchange Act and Certain Rules Thereunder (Added 03/24/2020)
- Federal Register: Policy for Diagnostics Testing in Laboratories Certified To Perform High Complexity Testing Under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments Prior to Emergency Use Authorization for Coronavirus Disease-2019 During the Public Health Emergency; Immediately in Effect Guidance for Clinical Laboratories and Food and Drug Administration Staff; Availability (Added 03/24/2020)
- Congress.gov: H.R.6201 – Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Added 03/24/2020)
- Congress.gov: H.R.6139 – COVID-19 Health Care Worker Protection Act of 2020 (Added 03/24/2020)
- Congress.gov: H.R.6074 – Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 (Added 03/24/2020)
- Congress.gov: H.R.1140 – Rights for Transportation Security Officers Act of 2020 (Added 03/24/2020)
Unemployment Compensation Resources
- NPR: Lost Work Because Of Coronavirus? How To Get Unemployment, Skip Loan Payments And More (Added 03/30/2020)
- Vox: How do 3 million newly unemployed people get health care? (Added 03/30/2020)
- PA Office of Unemployment Compensation: Information for PA Employees Impacted by COVID-19 (Added 03/24/2020)
- Carreer One Stop: Unemployment Benefits Finder (Added 03/24/2020)
Insurance Coverage & Claims
Property & Business Interruption
- Business Insurance: Members of Congress push plan to force insurers to cover virus losses (Added 04/17/2020)
- Carrier Management: CEO Viewpoint: How COVID-19 May Impact P/C Insurance—Now And Going Forward (Added 04/17/2020)
- NBC News: Coronavirus restaurant closures are devastating. We thought we had insurance for that. (Added 04/17/2020)
- EATER: River West’s Maillard Tavern Is the Latest Restaurant to Take on the Insurance Industry Over COVID-19 Losses (Added 04/17/2020)
- WSJ: Politicians Push Insurers to Resolve Mounting Disputes Over Covid-19 Losses (Added 04/17/2020)
- Business Insurance: Momentum builds for government pandemic backstop (Added 03/26/2020)
- Chubb: Notice to New York State Commercial Property Insurance Policyholders (Added 03/26/2020)
- New York State Department of Financial Services: The Novel Coronavirus and Business Interruption Insurance – FAQs (Added 03/26/2020)
- Travelers: COVID-19: Business Interruption General Information (Added 03/26/2020)
- Coverage Opinions: COVID-19 Issue / 03/24/2020 (Added 03/26/2020)
- Insurance Journal: Insurers Reject House Members’ Request to Cover Uninsured COVID Business Losses (Added 03/24/2020)
- Insurance Journal: Proposed N.J. Bill Would Require Insurers to Pay COVID-19 Business Interruption Claims (Added 03/24/2020)
- The National Law Review: Insurance Coverage in the Time of Coronavirus: Business Interruption Coverage May Require Creativity (Added 03/24/2020)
- Duane Morris Insurance Law: Life Interrupted: Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Insurance Coverage for Business Interruption (Added 03/24/2020)
- The National Law Review: Test Your Insurance Policy for Potential Relief from the COVID-19 Pandemic (Added 03/24/2020)
- The National Law Review: COVID-19 Insurance Impacts (Added 03/24/2020)
- The National Law Review: Business Interruption Insurance for COVID-19 (Added 03/24/2020)
- Stradley Ronon: Business Insurance Considerations During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Added 03/24/2020)
- White and Williams LLP: Drafting and Enforcing Force Majeure Clauses in the Wake of COVID-19: Details Matter (Added 03/24/2020)
- Fox Rothschild LLP: For Pennsylvania Construction Projects, Relief May Be Available (Added 03/24/2020)
- Fox Rothschild LLP: How Can Directors and Officers Aid in the Response to COVID-19 (Added 03/24/2020)
- MSN | Food & Drink: Insurance Companies Are Denying Restaurateurs’ COVID-19 Claims (Added 03/24/2020)
- Carrier Management: Pressure Builds on Insurers to Be Part of Coronavirus Business Solution (Added 03/24/2020)
- NAIC: COVID-19 and Insurance (PDF) (Added 03/24/2020)
- Goodwin: Insurance Considerations in Light of COVID-19 (Added 03/24/2020)
- Pryor Cashman: Insurance Coverage Issues Related To Coronavirus (Added 03/24/2020)
Claims Management
- Carrier Management: Stay-at-Home Pandemic Orders Reduce Auto Claims Almost by Half: Snapsheet (Added 04/17/2020)
- Business Insurance: Proposed backstop would cover pandemic business interruption (Added 04/17/2020)
- Claims Journal: Trump Tells Insurers to Pay Virus Claims If Pandemics Not Excluded (Added 04/17/2020)
- Reuters: COVID-19 response ‘could bankrupt the insurance industry’: insurance defense lawyer (Added 04/17/2020)
- Market Watch: Insurers face ‘uh-oh moment’ as Trump says some business-interruption policies should cover coronavirus claims (Added 04/17/2020)
- Insurance Journal: Lloyd’s Faces COVID-19 Claims from Multiple Insurance Lines, Says CEO Neal (Added 03/30/2020)
- CNN: French Laundry restaurateur Thomas Keller sues insurer for coronavirus losses (Added 03/30/2020)
- Politico: Insurers scramble to avoid 9/11-style coronavirus backlash (Added 03/30/2020)
- The Wall Street Journal: Pressure Mounts on Insurance Companies to Pay Out for Coronavirus (Added 03/30/2020)
- WSJ Opinion: Politicians Target Insurance Contracts (Added 03/30/2020)
- AM Best: COVID-19 Outbreak: AM Best Analysis and Commentary (Added 03/24/2020)
- The Philadelphia Inquirer: Insurance companies may not pay for business losses from coronavirus. N.J. bill aims to change that. (Added 03/24/2020)
- Business Insurance: New Orleans restaurant sues for coronavirus interruption cover (Added 03/24/2020)
- Carrier Management: Members of Congress Urge Insurers to Cover COVID Business Interruptions (Added 03/24/2020)
Cyber Liability
- EU Observer: Cybercrime rises during coronavirus pandemic (Added 03/26/2020)
- Claims Journal: Beazley: Ransomware Attacks Increasingly Paired With Data Breach (Added 03/26/2020)
- Insurance Journal: Employers Beware: Working from Home Creates New Cyber Risks (Added 03/26/2020)
- Insurance Journal: Watch Out for Virus-Tied Cyber Attacks on Remote Workers, Warns Tech Professor (Added 03/26/2020)
- ChubbWorks: Cloud Infrastructures Are Being Targeted (Added 03/26/2020)
- ZDNet: With everyone working from home, VPN security is now paramount (Added 03/26/2020)
- Business Insider: Companies should also consider using encrypted messaging services for work communication. (Added 03/26/2020)
- Harvard Business Review: Will Coronavirus Lead to More Cyber Attacks? (Added 03/24/2020)
- Yahoo Finance: Surge in remote work heightens cyber security risks during coronavirus pandemic (Added 03/24/2020)
- Cybersecurity Insiders: Now meet the Cyber Threat in the name of Coronavirus (Added 03/24/2020)
- Willis Towers Watson: Client Alert: Cyber risk, coronavirus and insurance coverage (Added 03/24/2020)
- Fox News: Risk of ‘deadly’ cyberattack looms amid coronavirus outbreak (Added 03/24/2020)
- Wired: Coronavirus Sets the Stage for Hacking Mayhem
Enterprise Risk Management
- Johns Hopkins University & Medicine: Outbreak Map (Added 03/24/2020)
- Carrier Management: CIO Checklist: COVID-19 Highlights Need to Revisit Continuity Plans (Added 03/24/2020)
Healthcare
- HealthLeaders Media: 4-Step Process for Providing Drive-Thru Coronavirus Testing (Added 04/17/2020)
- Penn Live: Experimental COVID-19 drug offered at Hershey Med (Added 04/17/2020)
- Fast Company: COVID-19 is normalizing telehealth, and that’s a good thing (Added 04/17/2020)
- MedCityNews: Verma says next round of emergency funding will include hospitals in Covid-19 hotspots (Added 04/17/2020)
- Fast Company: Covid-19 will accelerate the age of virtual medicine (Added 03/30/2020)
- Mayo Clinic: How video appointments are changing the way Mayo Clinic patients receive care (Added 03/30/2020)
- WZZM13: Whitmer relaxes medical practice laws allowing physician assistants, nurses to treat COVID-19 patients (Added 03/30/2020)
- The Columbus Dispatch: Coronavirus: Emptied by postponed surgeries and new restrictions, central Ohio hospitals anticipate patient surge (Added 03/30/2020)
- The New York Times: Nurses Die, Doctors Fall Sick and Panic Rises on Virus Front Lines (Added 03/30/2020)
- Modern Healthcare: COVID-19 hospital charges may exceed $1.4 trillion (Added 03/26/2020)
- Fox Rothschild LLP: Medicare and OCR Relax Telehealth Rules Under Medicare and HIPAA (Added 03/24/2020)
- American Medical Association: COVID-19: How the AMA is supporting physicians on the front lines (Added 03/24/2020)
- American Medical Association: Telemedicine amid COVID-19 (Added 03/24/2020)
- Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB): Telemedicine Key Issues and Policy
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: Medicare Telemedicine Health Care Provider Fact Sheet (Added 03/24/2020)
- Department of Health & Human Services (HHS): Notification of Enforcement Discretion for Telehealth Remote Communications During the COVID-19 Nationwide Public Health Emergency (Added 03/24/2020)
- HHS: COVID-19 & HIPAA Bulletin Limited Waiver of HIPAA Sanctions and Penalties During a Nationwide Public Health Emergency (PDF) (Added 03/24/2020)
- HHS: Office for Civil Rights: FAQs on Telehealth and HIPAA during the COVID-19 nationwide public health emergency (PDF) (Added 03/24/2020)
- Bloomberg: Investors Bet Billions on Virtual Doctor Visits Before Virus Fueled a Boom (Added 03/24/2020)
- Politico: FDA steps on the gas for digital health (Added 03/24/2020)
- The Wall Street Journal: What You Need to Know About Telehealth During the Coronavirus Crisis (Added 03/24/2020)
Labor & Employment
- Philadelphia Business Journal: Pennsylvania unemployment claims surge under coronavirus restrictions (Added 03/26/2020)
- Fox Rothschild LLP: PA Gov. Wolf Orders Closure of All ‘Non-Life Sustaining’ Businesses (Added 03/24/2020)
- Forbes: Unemployment Insurance And COVID-19: What You Need To Know (Added 03/24/2020)
- The National Law Review: IRS Formalizes Tax Filing Deadline to July 15 (Added 03/24/2020)
- Forbes: Unemployment Insurance Claims Jump 33% As Coronavirus Spreads (Added 03/24/2020)
Employee Benefits
- AXIOS: The coronavirus is exposing the holes in employer health insurance (Added 03/30/2020)
- CNBC: Cigna and Humana waive coronavirus treatment costs (Added 03/30/2020)
- The Hill: Health insurance premiums could skyrocket: analysis (Added 03/30/2020)
- Benefits Pro: ACA exchange warns of 40% or more premium increase in 2021 due to COVID-19 (Added 03/26/2020)
- The National Law Review: COVID-19 and US Health Insurance – New Regulatory Direct (Added 03/24/2020)
- America’s Health Insurance Plans (Added 03/24/2020)
- SHRM: FAQs: The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (HR 6201) (PDF) (Added 03/24/2020)
- UnitedHealthcare: Expanded access to care, support and resources (Added 03/24/2020)
- Benefits Pro: How the Coronavirus Affects HR, Benefits, and Retirement Professionals (Added 03/24/2020)
- Forbes: Little-Known Tax Law Allows Employers To Make Tax-Free Payments To Employees To Cover Covid-19 Expenses (Added 03/24/2020)
- Benefits Pro: States reopen ACA exchanges for COVID-19 enrollment period (Added 03/24/2020)
The Business Perspective
Work From Home / School From Home
- The Manual: 13 Tips for Working From Home, According to Our Writers (Added 04/17/2020)
- The Muse: 7 Essential Tips for Working From Home During the Coronavirus Pandemic (Added 04/17/2020)
- Bazaar: Yoga to ease lower-back pain caused by working from home (Added 03/30/2020)
- Forbes: Why Working From Home Is So Exhausting—And How To Reinvigorate (Added 03/30/2020)
- The Wall Street Journal: I’ve Worked From Home for 22 Years. Here’s What I’ve Learned. (Added 03/30/2020)
- The Guardian: US students are being asked to work remotely. But 22% of homes don’t have internet (Added 03/24/2020)
- CNET: This is how you do the Zoom background thing everyone is talking about (Added 03/24/2020)
- The Verge: The Verge Guide to Working at Home (Added 03/24/2020)
- Wired UK: Working from home is ruining your posture. Here’s how to fix it (Added 03/24/2020)
- Forbes: Coronavirus: How To Succeed At Video-Conferencing (Added 03/24/2020)
- The New York Times: Logged On From the Laundry Room: How the C.E.O.s of Google, Pfizer and Slack Work From Home (Added 03/24/2020)
- Well + Good: 5 WFH Boundaries That’ll Save You From Slipping into Accidental 14-Hour Workdays (Added 03/24/2020)
Economic Impacts
- CNBC: The economic data is even worse than Wall Street feared: ‘The economy is clearly in ruins here’ (Added 04/17/2020)
- CNBC: Fed Beige Book says economy contracted ‘sharply and abruptly’ due to coronavirus (Added 04/17/2020)
- CNBC: Here is everything the Fed has done to save the economy (Added 04/17/2020)
- Bloomberg Law: U.S. Jobless Claims Top 5.2 Million, Erasing Decade of Job Gains (Added 04/17/2020)
- Bloomberg Law: Eight-Week Clock Ticks Too Fast for Small Firms Facing Failure (Added 04/17/2020)
- MarketWatch: Fitch revises outlook for U.S. health insurance industry to negative vs. stable over coronavirus (Added 03/24/2020)
- Barron’s: Here’s Everything the Fed Is Doing to Support the Financial Markets. What’s Working — and What Isn’t. (Added 03/24/2020)
- NPR: Coronavirus Live Updates (Added 03/24/2020)
- Bloomberg: Trump Weighs Easing Stay-at-Home Advice to Curb Economic Rout (Added 03/24/2020)
- Axios: Most Americans say they have no savings (Added 03/24/2020)
- USA Today: CVS to hire 50,000 workers, gives bonuses to employees amid coronavirus pandemic (Added 03/24/2020)
- Vox: How the Covid-19 recession could become a depression (Added 03/24/2020)
- Kiplinger: Coronavirus and Your Retirement Savings: Answering Important Questions (Added 03/24/2020)
Major Law Firm Resource Pages
- Fox Rothschild LLP: Coronavirus Resources (Added 03/24/2020)
- Duane Morris: Coronavirus (COVID-19) (Added 03/24/2020)
- Morgan Lewis: Coronavirus COVID-19 (Added 03/24/2020)
- Cozen O’Connor: Coronavirus Task Force (Added 03/24/2020)
- Ballard Spahr LLP: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Resource Center (Added 03/24/2020)
- Reed Smith: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center (Added 03/24/2020)
- Pepper Hamilton LLP: COVID-19 Resource Center (Added 03/24/2020)
- Buchanan Ingersoll Rooney: Coronavirus (COVID-19) (Added 03/24/2020)
- Blank Room LLP: Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) Task Force (Added 03/24/2020)
Major Management Consulting Firm Resource Pages
- Accenture: Productivity in Uncertain Times through the Elastic Digital Workplace (Added 03/24/2020)
- Capgemini: COVID-19 (Added 03/24/2020)
- Deloitte: Combating COVID-19 with resilience (Added 03/24/2020)
- KPMG: COVID-19: Responding with resilience and readiness (Added 03/24/2020)
- Gartner: Lead Your Organization Through Pandemic Disruption (Added 03/24/2020)
Self-Care & Social Distancing
- CNBC: Trump extends distancing guidelines through April 30 to keep US death toll below 100,000 (Added 03/30/2020)
- Food & Wine: 14 Recipes You Can Make Using Pantry Staples (Added 03/24/2020)
- Bon Appetit: 3 Things to Make You Feel Better About Cooking at Home (Added 03/24/2020)
- VICE: 20 Recipes for the Pasta, Rice, and Beans You’ve Hopefully Stockpiled by Now (Added 03/24/2020)
- Forbes: The Bright Side Of Covid-19: Seven Opportunities Of The Current Pandemic (Added 03/24/2020)
- Today Show: Can you contract coronavirus from delivery packages? Here’s what experts are saying (Added 03/24/2020)