As we explained in a recent post, as of January 1, 2021, COVID-19 leave is no longer mandated under the federal Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (FFCRA), although covered employers who voluntarily provide paid leave outlined in the FFCRA may take advantage of the FFCRA tax credit through March 31, 2021. Notwithstanding this change
Leave Laws
FFCRA COVID-19 leave is voluntary for Q1 2021
Employers subject to the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (FFCRA or the Act) should be aware that they are no longer required to provide paid leave to employees for the COVID-19 related reasons specified in the Act. In the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA), which became law on December 27, 2020, Congress allowed the FFCRA…
New York state paid sick leave law now in effect
Employers in New York should be aware of the state’s new paid sick leave law, which was enacted on April 3, 2020 and went into effect on Wednesday, September 30. This state-wide law includes employers in New York City and Westchester County where preexisting paid sick leave laws remain in effect. Notably, unlike many other…
Department of Labor issues revised FFCRA regulations
On September 11, 2020, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued revised regulations under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which generally requires employers with fewer than 500 employees to provide paid sick leave and expanded Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave for certain COVID-19 related reasons. (We previously summarized the FFCRA’s leave requirements…
DOL clarifies FFCRA childcare leave availability for in-person and remote learning
On August 27, 2020, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued guidance (in FAQs numbered 98-100) clarifying how the childcare provisions of the Family First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) apply to various remote and in-person school situations. As a reminder, the FFCRA generally requires private employers with fewer than 500 employees and many public sector employers…
Colorado enacts statewide paid sick leave law and temporarily scales up COVID-19 paid sick leave expansion
On July 14, 2020, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (Law). The law has two significant impacts. First, as a temporary measure, it immediately expands leave rights related to COVID-19 by requiring employers of any size (including employers with greater than 500 employees who are exempt from the Families…
D.C. COVID-19 leave laws update
The District of Columbia recently adopted a new version of emergency laws requiring employers to provide both paid and unpaid leave to eligible employees for certain COVID-19 related reasons. The Mayor signed the Coronavirus Support Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 and the Coronavirus Support Clarification Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 (together, CSEA) into law on…
Are you ready for D.C. paid family/medical leave on July 1? Questions & Answers for employers, including benefits coordination
Benefits will be available to employees under the District of Columbia’s paid family and medical leave program, known as D.C. Paid Family Leave (DCPFL), starting July 1, 2020. As discussed in our prior posts here and here, DCPFL provides partial wage replacement benefits to eligible employees who need to take leave for certain medical or family reasons. The program is funded by employer payroll taxes, which D.C. employers began paying in July 2019. DCPFL is administered by the Department of Employment Services (DOES), which will make eligibility determinations and pay benefits directly to employees.…
Continue Reading Are you ready for D.C. paid family/medical leave on July 1? Questions & Answers for employers, including benefits coordination
California grants additional paid sick leave rights to food sector workers
California food sector workers now have the right to additional paid sick leave, even if they work for large employers exempted from the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). And they are also entitled to handwashing breaks every 30 minutes and additionally as needed.…
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DC expands COVID-19 related leave requirements
The Mayor of the District of Columbia recently signed two emergency laws that expand obligations of employers to provide leave to employees for COVID-19 reasons:
- The COVID-19 Response Supplemental Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 requires employers with 50-499 employees other than health care providers to provide employees who have been employed for at least 15 days with up to two additional weeks of paid leave for the same reasons that leave is available under the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). This is referred to below as declared emergency paid leave (DE paid leave).
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Continue Reading DC expands COVID-19 related leave requirements