Ways to keep your workplace less sick..... love your neighbors :)

• Cover Your Mouth and Nose. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Flu viruses are thought to spread mainly from person to person through coughing, sneezing, or talking to someone with the flu. 
  
• Avoid Touching Your Eyes, Nose, or Mouth. Flu viruses also may spread when people touch something with flu virus on it and then touch their mouth, eyes, or nose. Routinely clean frequently touched objects and surfaces, including doorknobs, keyboards, and phones, to help remove germs.
  
• Clean Your Hands. Washing your hands often with soap and water (if soap and water are not available, you can use alcohol-based rub) will help protect you from germs. Make sure your workplace has an adequate supply of tissues, soap, paper towels, alcohol-based hand rubs, and disposable wipes.
  
• Stay Home When Sick. Employees should be encouraged to stay home from work when they are sick to help prevent others from getting ill. If there is only one employee who performs a particular task, consider training others so that coverage is available should that employee need to leave work early or stay home due to illness.
  

VERITAS, where you get the TRUTH about insurance!

Annual out-of-pocket expenses may not exceed $7,350 for self-only coverage or $14,700 for family coverage in 2018

HHS Issues Final Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2018

A final Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) addresses, among other things, the requirement under the Affordable Care Act that non-grandfathered group health plans limit annual out-of-pocket cost-sharing for coverage of essential health benefits under the plan. The law requires that these limits be updated annually.

HHS updated the annual limits based on the premium adjustment percentage for 2018. As a result, annual out-of-pocket expenses may not exceed $7,350 for self-only coverage or $14,700 for family coverage in 2018.

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Grace & Peace,
Andrew Darlington CRM, CIC, CBIA, AAI

***Typed qith tumbs or used voice to text soplease forgive the gramatical errora.***

Veritas Risk Management & Insurance Services
PO Box 4539 Johnson City, TN 37602
Phone- (423)292-4142

IRS: 'Saver's Credit' Helps Low- and Moderate-Income Workers Save for Retirement

Special Tax Credit Available for Certain Workers

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is reminding low- and moderate-income workers that they can take steps now to save for retirement and earn a special tax credit in 2016 and years ahead.

Background
The saver's credit, also known as the retirement savings contributions credit, helps offset part of the first $2,000 workers voluntarily contribute to IRAs and 401(k) plans and similar workplace retirement programs. The saver's credit can be claimed by:

Married couples filing jointly with incomes up to $61,500 in 2016 or $62,000 in 2017;
Heads of household with incomes up to $46,125 in 2016 or $46,500 in 2017; and
Married individuals filing separately and singles with incomes up to $30,750 in 2016 or $31,000 in 2017.
Note: Like other tax credits, the saver's credit can increase a taxpayer's refund or reduce the tax owed. Though the maximum saver's credit is $1,000 ($2,000 for married couples), the IRS cautioned that it is often much less and, due in part to the impact of other deductions and credits, may, in fact, be zero for some taxpayers.

Saver's Credit
A taxpayer's credit amount is based on his or her filing status, adjusted gross income, tax liability and amount contributed to qualifying retirement programs. IRS Form 8880 is used to claim the saver's credit, and its instructions have details on figuring the credit correctly.

Eligible workers still have time to make qualifying retirement contributions and get the saver's credit on their 2016 tax returns. People have until the due date for filing their 2016 return (April 18, 2017), to set up a new individual retirement arrangement or add money to an existing IRA for 2016. This includes the Treasury Department's myRA. However, elective deferrals (contributions) must be made by the end of the year to a 401(k) plan or similar workplace program (e.g., a 403(b) plan).

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Grace & Peace,
Andrew Darlington CRM, CIC, CBIA, AAI

***Typed qith tumbs or used voice to text soplease forgive the gramatical errora.***

Veritas Risk Management & Insurance Services
PO Box 4539 Johnson City, TN 37602
Phone- (423)292-4142

State of Tennessee Insurance Verification Program and Random Checks

Effective January 1, 2017, The State of Tennessee's Insurance Verification Program goes live in response to the James Lee Atwood Jr. Law (House Bill 606) that was passed on April 21, 2015. The Tennessee Department of Revenue has been working to design a program that can determine if the financial responsibility requirements of the law are being met with motor vehicle liability insurance policies for Tennessee drivers.

Tennessee is a mandatory insurance state and a new online system has been implemented to automate their auto insurance verification process. All insurance carriers will be sending all Tennessee policies each month to support the online verification. This will be used in addition to Auto ID cards to verify coverage when an individual is stopped for a traffic violation.

Since random checks to verify coverage will also be conducted by the state, it is important to verify that your VINs located on the registration match that of your insurance policy so that coverage can be properly verified. If mandatory coverage cannot be verified, Tennessee will contact you by mail. Failure to verify coverage could result in fines, suspension of vehicle registration, or a registration reinstatement fee. 

For additional information on the James Lee Atwood Jr Law, please see https://www.tn.gov/revenue/article/drive-insured-tn

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Grace & Peace,
Andrew Darlington CRM, CIC, CBIA, AAI

***Typed qith tumbs or used voice to text soplease forgive the gramatical errora.***

Veritas Risk Management & Insurance Services
PO Box 4539 Johnson City, TN 37602
Phone- (423)292-4142

WINTER DRIVING TIPS

One of the lessons I guess nearly all of us can remember from our school days is the Aesop's fable of the tortoise and the hare. The basic message is: slow and steady beats fast and furious.

Well, okay, maybe that isn't always true, but I often think of it when some tail-gater pulls out and zooms past me on the highway only to meet up again at the next traffic signal. They never seem to learn the lesson or realize the unnecessary risks they take.

Winter driving adds to those risks by throwing all sorts of extra hazards at us - earlier darkness in most places, rain, snow and ice, plus road surfaces pitted and pot-holed either by the weather or studded/chained tires.

This calls for extra caution when you're driving and though I'm not urging you to travel at tortoise speed, it is important that you allow extra time for your journey and ease off on the gas, no matter how rushed you feel.

I thought it might be helpful to pass on a few more winter safety driving tips. Even if you already know them - most are commonsense anyway - sometimes re-reading them helps fix them in your mind before your next road trip.

This is especially important if you happen to be traveling to an area, for the holidays or a vacation say, where the roads will be unfamiliar and perhaps the driving conditions tougher than those you're used to.  Here are my Top 10 rules:

1. Put your headlights on, even during daytime. Many vehicles now do this automatically but if yours isn’t one of them, get into the habit of switching on.
2. Leave more space between you and the vehicle in front. If it's wet, you need at least twice the normal stopping distance. In snow and ice it can10-times, yes 10 times, the distance!
3. Following on from the above point, always brake slowly when roads are slippery; slamming on the brakes leads to skids.
4. Keep your eyes peeled for cyclists and walkers who will not be as visible during rain or darkness, especially if they don’t wear reflective gear.
5. Don't try to drive through a flooded area. You may see others driving through deep water; before following them, just think of the consequences of breaking down there.
6. Take a cellphone and an emergency breakdown kit that includes a lighted warning triangle; if your car breaks down erect the triangle use your car's flashing warning lights.
7. Take weatherproof clothing. Even if you don’t intend to get out of the car, you may not have a choice.
8. If you're planning a long journey or driving through an isolated area, take extra clothing, food supplies and water.
9. If weather conditions are severe, or there's a storm warning, think twice about whether the journey is really necessary. If you do go, take chains if there's ice or snow.
10. Winter driving demands extra concentration. Turn the music (and the cellphone) off and limit potential distractions, from children, even noisy adults, and pets.

Plus, of course, leave early and take your time. Meeting hurriers at the traffic signal is one thing. Seeing them in the aftermath of an accident is another. I don’t want you to be one of them.