As COVID emergencies wind down, brokers and employers are adjusting to changing rules

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, government policy has been marked by controversy and confusion, and the ending of the two federal emergency declarations has its own share of chaos.

The two main declarations are the public health emergency (PHE) and the COVID-19 national emergency (NE). In January, the Biden Administration said the two emergency periods would end on May 11, however, Congress stepped in and passed a bill ending the NE immediately. President Biden, probably not wanting to further the partisan wrangling over COVID, signed the bill into law on April 11. Most of the policies that were different under the PHE and NE have 60 days to be phased out.

This appeared to mean that there are two sets of deadlines for ending policies, a development that could cause some confusion. However, according to Brian Johnston of Jackson Lewis, federal agencies have said they would stick to the July 10 deadline, rather than the June 9 deadline that the earlier ending of the NE would’ve suggested.