Previous Story
Responsibility for medical expenses
|
Posted on Apr 11 2008
[B]Q: Who is responsible for the medical expenses of an alien worker whose employment contract is already finished?
[/B] A: The last employer of record shall be responsible for the medical expenses of the alien worker for up to a maximum of 96 days after termination of the approved employment contract to allow for the completion of transfers, cases, and appeals. According to the new Alien Labor Rules and Regulations, in the event of requests for extensions of time to pursue cases and appeals, the Labor administrative hearing officer may inquire as to how medical expenses will be met in order that this burden not fall upon the CNMI government.
[B]Q: If the employer’s responsibility for medical expenses to an alien worker is expired but the worker remains in the CNMI, who will shoulder his or her medical expenses?[/B]
Tribune via e-mail at editor@saipantribune.com, or by calling 235-6397, 235-2440, or 235-8747 and leaving a message at Ext. 133 or 135. You may also submit questions in person by writing it down and dropping it off at the Saipan Tribune’s office on the second floor of the CIC Centre on Beach Road, Garapan. [/I]
[/B] A: The last employer of record shall be responsible for the medical expenses of the alien worker for up to a maximum of 96 days after termination of the approved employment contract to allow for the completion of transfers, cases, and appeals. According to the new Alien Labor Rules and Regulations, in the event of requests for extensions of time to pursue cases and appeals, the Labor administrative hearing officer may inquire as to how medical expenses will be met in order that this burden not fall upon the CNMI government.
***
A: According to the Regulations, a foreign national worker who remains in the Commonwealth after the expiration of the employer’s responsibility for medical expenses shall be personally responsible for such expenses. Failure to pay outstanding medical bills or lack of means to pay significant bills that may be incurred in the future may be considered by Labor’s administrative hearing officers under appropriate circumstances.
***
[B]Q: If an alien worker files a Labor case after the termination of his or her contract, how long can he or she stays in the Commonwealth?[/B]A: The Regulations state that a foreign national worker must exit the CNMI within 15 days after the termination of an approved employment contract or any renewal.
An automatic extension of an additional 15 days is available if the worker is in the process of preparing a complaint to be filed with Labor, a complaint in a civil matter to be filed with any court, or a complaint to the Department of Public Safety with respect to a criminal matter.
Tribune via e-mail at editor@saipantribune.com, or by calling 235-6397, 235-2440, or 235-8747 and leaving a message at Ext. 133 or 135. You may also submit questions in person by writing it down and dropping it off at the Saipan Tribune’s office on the second floor of the CIC Centre on Beach Road, Garapan. [/I]
