HR FORUM 
Revised I-9


The revised Form I-9 must now be used on or after April 3. The new I-9 shows a revision date of "02/02/09" and an expiration date of "06/30/09." The revision date can be found in the lower right-hand corner of the form. Previous versions of Form I-9 may no longer be used. The revised Form I-9 reflects changes made to the list of acceptable documents.

The expiration date does not necessarily mean it will be revised again before it expires. Certain forms must carry an expiration date to comply with requirements from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the expiration date imposed by the OMB could be extended without further revision to the form.

One of the most significant changes is that expired documents are no longer acceptable. The previous I-9 allowed employers to accept expired U.S. Passports, as well as expired identification documents from List B. Note that documents without expiration dates (e.g., social security cards, birth certificates, etc.) are assumed to be unexpired.

Employers do not need to replace previously-completed I-9s with the new version. Any completed I-9 which was valid at the time will remain valid, and must be kept for the required retention period. However, older versions of the I-9 can no longer be used. For example, when an employee must be reverified because employment authorization has expired, employers must use the revised Form I-9 with its new List of Acceptable Documents. An employer may not reverify the employee by completing Section 3 - Updating and Reverification on a previous version of Form I-9.

DOL publishes new COBRA notices


As a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the Department of Labor (DOL) has released four new COBRA notices. They are for assistance eligible individuals under the new, temporary COBRA provisions. They include:

1. COBRA General Notice (full version): Model notice for use by group health plans for qualified beneficiaries who have not yet received an election notice and with qualifying events occurring during the period that begins with September 1, 2008 and ends with December 31, 2009.

2. COBRA General Notice (abbreviated version): Model notice for use by group health plans for qualified beneficiaries currently enrolled in COBRA coverage with qualifying events that occurred on or after September 1, 2008 to advise them of the availability of the premium reduction.

3. COBRA Notice in connection with extended election periods: Model notice for use by group health plans for qualified beneficiaries who are or would be an Assistance Eligible Individual but are not enrolled in COBRA coverage with qualifying events that occurred during the period from September 1, 2008 through February 16, 2009.

4. COBRA Alternative Notice: Model notice for use where coverage is subject to state continuation requirements during the period that begins with September 1, 2008 and ends with December 31, 2009.


Sponsors