Mandate for Employers with 100+ Employees
- OSHA is currently developing a rule requiring all employees working for employers with 100 or more employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccine or submit to weekly testing.
- Employers are also required to give paid time off for vaccination and post-vaccination recovery if an employee suffers side effects.
- OSHA will issue an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) regarding implementation of these requirement. There is currently no timeline of when this ETS will be released.
- Companies that do not comply could face fines of up to $14,000 per violation.
- This mandate impacts 80 million private sector workers nationally.
- In New Jersey, this mandate impacts 1.4 million workers and 7,400 companies.
Mandate for Healthcare Workers
- The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is taking action to require vaccinations for workers in healthcare settings that receive Medicare or Medicaid reimbursements.
- This includes hospitals, home health agencies, ambulatory surgical centers, and dialysis centers among others.
- CMS will be developing an Interim Final Rule with a Comment Period that will be issued in October.
- This mandate will cover 17 million healthcare workers nationwide.
- This action follows behind a previous CMS mandate for nursing home and hospital staff to be vaccinated.
Mandate for Federal Workers and Contractors
- President Biden signed an Executive Order mandating that all federal workers and all employees of federal contractors receive a COVID-19 vaccination with no testing option.
- All federal employees must be fully vaccinated by November 22, 2021. All federal employees must receive their last vaccination dose by November 8, 2021 to meet this requirement.
- This mandate includes all federal employees and contractors, including those that are working remotely.
- Agencies must retain records of COVID-19 vaccinations from all employees.
- Individuals with a sincerely held religious belief or a disability that prevents them from getting vaccinated must be provided with responsible accommodation.
- More information regarding the vaccine mandate for federal workers and contractors can be found here.