AWC Personnel News - December 2008 (Plain Text Version)In this issue: Federal UpdateRecent updates at the federal level. FMLAThe U.S. Department of Labor updated the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in an effort to speed up the implementation of the new expanded coverage for military family members to care for an ill or injured service member and time to manage their personal affairs when their service member is called for active duty. The final rule, which can be found at www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/esa/esa20081703.htm addresses general FMLA rights and obligations for both workers and employers under the new law. Unemployment Insurance Extended BenefitsExtended Benefits are available to workers who have exhausted regular unemployment insurance benefits during periods of high unemployment. The basic Extended Benefits program provides up to 13 additional weeks of benefits to those who qualify, when the state is experiencing high unemployment. The original law, approved in June 2008, provided up to 13 weeks of additional benefits. It was amended effective November 21 and now provides up to 20 weeks of benefits. For more information about unemployment benefits, go to www.esd.wa.gov/uibenefits/faq/additional-emergency-ui-benefits.php. 2009 Standard Mileage Rates AnnouncedEffective January 1, 2009, the optional standard mileage rate established by the IRS for business-related travel will be 55 cents per mile. Due to a recent decline in gasoline prices, the new reimbursement rate is down from 58.5 cents per mile for business miles driven from July 1, 2008, through December 31, 2008, but higher than the first half of 2008 when the mileage rate was 50.5 per mile. The standard mileage rates set a ceiling on employers’ reimbursements to employees when they use their personal vehicles for the employer’s purposes.
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