Tuesday, April 27, 2010

NYS Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board Hearing Process

Presenters:
Melissa Willey - Adjudication Services Office
o How an application for benefits reaches the U.I. Appeal Board
Marjorie Olds - Senior Administrative Law Judge
o Hearing Process - Nuts and bolts for Businesses
Matthew Tierney - Senior Administrative Law Judge
o Appeal Process - What if a party is dissatisfied with the decision?

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Date: Monday, May 10, 2010
Time: 8:30 AM Registration
Workshop: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM (Program Includes Question & Answer Period)
Place: Morrisville State College Norwich Campus’ Community Room
Thanks to the seminar’s sponsors this is a Free Seminar

To make reservations, call NYS Department of Labor at (607) 432-4800 ext. 103
or by email: alan.sessions@labor.ny.gov

This seminar is a joint venture of the NYS Department of Labor
Chenango JSEC, Commerce Chenango, CDO Workforce New York
Morrisville State College Norwich Campus

Friday, April 23, 2010

UCCCA Director Departs

An announcement has been made that the new ED at UCCCA has left because of differences with the board of directors. The press release was available in The Daily Star, but not online.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Leatherstocking AEA’s New Email Discussion Group

A Leatherstocking AEA email discussion group has been newly created on Google Groups at: http://groups.google.com/group/leatherstockingaea

An email discussion group automatically shares a message sent to a specific email address with all the members of a group. Each time members reply with their comments, the comments are automatically shared with all the members of the group. Google Groups has added functionality that also allows us to upload and store images and files for later reference and to create pages.

Some ways we can use the group are: to continue discussions from a program, like the recent one Core Policies for Your Volunteers, Board and Staff, to share experiences, and to tap the expertise of our members by asking each other questions. For example, the attendee list from the April 14 program has been uploaded to the file section of the group for member reference.

If you have not already been invited, send your request to join and questions about using the group to Andrew Marietta amarietta@nycon.org or Michael Wesolowski michaelwesolowski@yahoo.com.

Health Care Reform Resource from Excellus

Excellus BCBS is offering an information section related to the health care reform legislation.

Keeping You Informed
We want to keep you updated on the status of this legislation. While the law was just passed, many activities still have to occur. As the implications and requirements of the legislation become clearer, we will continue to update these pages. You may also Join Our Email Alert to be notified of updates.

Overview
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act It was modified by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, signed by President Obama on March 30, 2010.


The following summary explains key health coverage provisions provided in the federal law. In some instances state law may do more.

The legislation will do the following:

  • Most individuals will be required to have health insurance beginning in 2014, or face a penalty.
  • Individuals who do not have access to affordable employer coverage will be able to purchase coverage through a health Insurance Exchange with premium and cost-sharing credits available to some people to make coverage more affordable. Small businesses will be able to purchase coverage through a separate Exchange.
  • Employers will be required to pay penalties for employees who receive tax credits for health insurance through the Exchange, with exceptions for small employers.
  • New regulations will be imposed on all health plans that will prevent health insurers from denying coverage to people for pre-existing conditions and their health status, and from charging higher premiums based on health status and gender.
  • Medicaid will be expanded to 133 percent of the federal poverty level ($14,404 for an individual and $29,327 for a family of four in 2009) for all individuals under age 65. (Medicaid coverage may vary by state.)
  • The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the legislation will reduce the number of uninsured by 32 million in 2019 at a net cost of $938 billion over ten years, while reducing the deficit by $124 billion during this time period.

For more information, click here.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Program: Core Policies for Your Volunteers, Board and Staff

The April 14th morning program titled” Core Policies for Your Volunteers, Board and Staff” was held at A.O. Fox's Levine Conference Center located at 1 Norton Ave, Oneonta, NY.

Three panelists made presentations based on their area of expertise and took questions from the audience that traveled from three counties.

Panelists were:
Susan Kenny, Executive Director, Roxbury Arts Group, sharing feedback and policies for boards of directors.

Nancy Karaman, Volunteer Administrator, New York State Historical Association and The Farmers' Museum, sharing information and policies on volunteer management.

Melissa Marietta, Internship Coordinator, Hartwick College, sharing information and policies on internship management.

Some of the issues discussed were: board members are volunteers, succession planning for board members and executive directors and staff, what is a volunteer, how to fire a volunteer, creating a volunteer manual, legal matters surrounding interns, why have a intern, and interns are not staff.

Handouts included examples of board policies, intern and volunteer manuals and related materials.

Though Panelists took many questions during the presentation the discussion could have lasted all day.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Franklin Stage Company announces 2010 hiatus but will reopen in 2011

I realize that this may seem unexpected and disappointing, and for that I apologize; but the truth is that there is an urgent need, and now a great opportunity, for some crucial rethinking and restructuring of FSC so that we can relaunch in 2011 stronger and more secure. This is indeed a necessary "breath," a respite from production during which to step back, assess and build the future of FSC.

The Board of Trustees has been very supportive, which I greatly appreciate, and we are looking for ways to keep the building open for some limited programming in 2010. Jim Mullen will present another of his eagerly anticipated solo shows and in September Tom Morgan will present a sequel to 2009's much beloved Tales from the Empire. We are considering other possibilities and will keep you informed as we create a schedule.

On behalf of FSC, I thank you for your support and loyalty as we forge a brighter and more sustainable future for the company.

With hope and gratitude,

Carmela Marner
Executive Director

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

April 14th Program: Core Policies for Your Volunteers, Board and Staff

With the recent economic challenges nonprofits are facing, volunteers have become an essential resource for organizations. As nonprofits rely more and more on volunteers, working with them and their management have become more of focus. This program focuses on three types of volunteers: board members, volunteers, and interns. The program features a panel discussion with nonprofit professionals sharing and discussing policies for the board, volunteers and interns. The proposed panel will be:

•Susan Kenny, Executive Director, Roxbury Arts Group, sharing feedback and policies for boards of directors
•Nancy Karaman, Volunteer Administrator, New York State Historical Association and The Farmers' Museum, sharing information and policies on volunteer management
•Melissa Marietta, Internship Coordinator, Hartwick College, sharing information and policies on internship management
Program location will be at A.O. Fox's Levine Conference Center located at 1 Norton Ave, Oneonta, NY.

REGISTER HERE

Date: Wed, April 14th, 2010
Time: 9:30am - 11:30am
Cost: Free
Location: A.O. Fox's Levine Conference Center
1 Norton Ave
Oneonta, NY 13820

Have you seen recent news about the growing focus on interns? Here is a recent article:

Working for Free: The Boom in Adult Interns
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1977130,00.html?cnn=yes&hpt=C2#ixzz0kNIoaV5V

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Elevate America - E-Learning training & select certification exams NOW AVAILABLE

Elevate America
In cooperation with the Microsoft Corporation, the NYS Department of Labor is pleased to offer vouchers for E-Learning training and select certification exams at no cost to you.

Vouchers are available until June 24, 2010. All vouchers must be redeemed and/or activated by June 24, 2010. Online learning vouchers, once activated, give users 12 months use of the training from the date they activated the voucher. Certification exam vouchers must be redeemed with an eligible testing center before June 24, 2010.

There are three types of vouchers:
1) General E-Learning for intermediate level technology skills training will give users a choice of pursuing a set of learning courses on a specific topic area (i.e. Excel, Word, Outlook, etc.) within either Windows Vista and Office 2007 –or– Office 2003.

2) A smaller number of E-Learning vouchers are available for IT Professionals.

3) Vouchers for Microsoft Business Certification Exams which enable a user to pursue a no cost exam in one topic area (i.e. Excel, Word, Outlook, etc.). One Voucher will allow a user to pursue one exam in either Office 2003 –or– Office 2007.

TO REQUEST VOUCHERS: To conform with Microsoft Corporation’s requirements, only individual employees, not businesses, can request these E-learning collections. Individual workers can request vouchers by completing the attached form and returning it by e-mail or fax to Alan Sessions at alan.sessions@labor.state.ny.us or (Fax) 607-432-8130. Their requests will be processed to NYS Dept. of Labor’s Central Office in Albany. That office will e-mail the voucher numbers directly to the employee to use to access their E-learning at http://www.microsoft.com/about/corporatecitizenship/us/communityinvestment/elevateamerica.aspx

View the FAQs to obtain additional information at http://www.labor.ny.gov/workforcenypartners/elevate_america.shtm

Visit Elevate America's website to learn about the trainings and exams.

http://www.microsoft.com/about/corporatecitizenship/us/communityinvestment/elevateamerica.aspx

If you find you need customer support, please contact the Microsoft Regional Support Center by phone at 800-636‐7544, or email e-learn@microsoft.com. More support information is available at the following Website: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/support/northamerica.mspx

Please Note: Only individuals can access this training, and the business has no access to employee’s trainings or progress reports. Employees can request multiple trainings (One voucher = One training or exam), but employees should be realistic when requesting trainings or exams (trainings need to be completed within 12 months and Exams completed by June 24, 2010).

Alan Sessions, Business Services Rep.
Dept. of Labor & CDO Workforce
12 Dietz St., Oneonta, NY 13820
607-432-4800, Ext. 103
alan.sessions@labor.state.ny.us
http://www.cdoworkforce.blogspot.com

Growth of unpaid internships may be illegal

The NY Times featured the following story about the increase in the number of unpaid internships in recent years, leading federal and state regulators to worry that more employers are illegally using such internships for free labor.

Convinced that many unpaid internships violate minimum wage laws, officials in Oregon, California and other states have begun investigations and fined employers. Last year, M. Patricia Smith, then New York’s labor commissioner, ordered investigations into several firms’ internships. Now, as the federal Labor Department’s top law enforcement official, she and the wage and hour division are stepping up enforcement nationwide.

Many regulators say that violations are widespread, but that it is unusually hard to mount a major enforcement effort because interns are often afraid to file complaints. Many fear they will become known as troublemakers in their chosen field, endangering their chances with a potential future employer. Read more here.