You may have heard that congress recently passed an act created to help offer financial support to those impacted by COVID-19 through various employer paid leaves. When this Act first passed, there was not a lot of information available for employers on how to administer the leave and who may qualify. As of yesterday, the Department of Labor has now provided this guidance. I will summarize some of the key findings below.
Employees will not be eligible for any leave under the law if the employee’s worksite is closed after the Act’s effective date - whether for lack of business or because it was required to do so pursuant to a federal, state, or local stay at home directive (as opposed to an official quarantine or isolation order).
Employees are not eligible for leave under the new law during furloughs or temporary layoffs.
To read the entire FAQ you can do so here ”https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic/ffcra-questions”
For Employees that are still actively working and believe they have a situation that may qualify under one of the below definitions, please reach out to your HR team at HR@cohoserv.com or 503-425-1507. We will ask that you complete a form and provide documentation regarding your situation to help determine if you qualify.
Employer paid Leave Types
Employee paid sick leave Up to 2 weeks paid sick leave will be available at the employee’s regular rate of pay where the employee is unable to work because the employee is quarantined (pursuant to Federal, State, or local government order or advice of a health care provider), and/or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and seeking a medical diagnosis; or
Family paid sick leave Two weeks paid sick leave at two-thirds the employee’s regular rate of pay because the employee is unable to work because of a bona fide need to care for an individual subject to quarantine (pursuant to Federal, State, or local government order or advice of a health care provider),
Paid expanded family and medical leave Up to 12 weeks of paid expanded family and medical leave at two-thirds the employee’s regular rate of pay where an employee is unable to work due to a bona fide need for leave to care for a child whose school or child care provider is closed or unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19.
To read more about the act itself, you can do so here: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic/ffcra-employer-paid-leave