Family First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)

Employee Rights under the FFCRA Family First Coronavirus Response Act.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) took effect on April 1, 2020. The FFCRA seeks to assist employees impacted COVID-19 and includes two (2) form of paid leave for employees. See link to flyer https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WHD/posters/FFCRA_Poster_WH1422_Non-Federal.pdf

Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act which provides up to 80 hours of paid sick leave for employees who are unable to work from home and who meet one of six (6) qualifying reasons related to COVID-19.

     Eligibility: All employees of covered employers are eligible for two weeks of paid sick time for specified reasons                         related to COVID-19.

Qualifying Reasons

1. is subject to a Federal, State, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19;

2. has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine related to COVID-19;

3. is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and is seeking a medical diagnosis;

4. is caring for an individual subject to an order described in (1) or self-quarantine as described in (2);

5. is caring for his or her child whose school or place of care is closed (or child care provider is unavailable) due to            COVID-19 related reasons; or

6. is experiencing any other substantially-similar condition specified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human              Services

Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLA) Expands the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act to provide leave for employees who are unable to work, including work-from-home, as a result of having to care for a minor child due to a COVID- 19 related closure of a school or childcare center.

Eligibility Employees are eligible to take leave under the EFMLA Act if they have been employed at least 30 calendar days. Unlike the other provisions of the FMLA, there are no hours worked requirements for eligibility, and employees are not required to work the normal 12-month period for leave taken pursuant to the EFMLA.

Qualifying Reason: The EFMLA amends and expands the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), on a temporary basis, to provide qualifying employees 12 weeks of leave if the employee is unable to work, including work-from-home, due to the need to care for the employee’s child (under 18 years of age) if the child’s school or place of care is closed or the child care provider is unavailable due to a public health emergency. A public health emergency is “an emergency with respect to COVID-19 declared by a Federal, State, or local authority.”