Supreme Court to Hold Hearings on Federal Vaccine Mandates
On Dec. 22, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will hear oral arguments regarding whether two federal vaccine requirements can be enforced while legal appeals are in process. On Jan. 7, 2022, the Court will consider requests on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) federal emergency temporary standard (ETS) for COVID-19 and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) emergency rule requiring COVID-19 vaccination of certain health care workers.
OSHA ETS
The ETS establishes a vaccine-or-test requirement for private employers with 100 or more employees. These employers must require employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or be tested on a weekly basis and wear face coverings at work.
OSHA issued the ETS on Nov. 5, 2021. It was later blocked nationwide by a federal appeals court and then reinstated by another court. Groups challenging the rule have asked the Supreme Court to stay the reinstatement while they appeal the ruling. OSHA plans to delay enforcement of the ETS until at least Jan. 10, 2022.
CMS Rule for Health Care Workers
The CMS rule requires Medicare- and Medicaid-certified providers and suppliers to establish a policy requiring covered staff members to be vaccinated against COVID-19 unless they are eligible for an exemption based on recognized medical conditions or religious beliefs.
Multiple federal court rulings have resulted in the CMS rule being blocked in a number of states. While CMS has indicated that it will not enforce the rule for now due to pending litigation, the Supreme Court will consider whether the lower court rulings should remain in place during the appeals process.
Important Dates
Dec. 22, 2021
The Court announced that it would hold special hearings on the OSHA ETS and the health care worker vaccine requirements.
Jan. 7, 2022
The special hearings are scheduled to be held on both federal rules.
Download the full PDF here – Supreme Court to Hold Hearings on Federal Vaccine Mandates
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