Last Wednesday, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) was signed into law. FFCRA takes effect on April 1 and expires on December 31, 2020. Among other provisions, the law provides emergency paid sick and some parental leave protections to eligible employees.
Eligible employees include virtually all public employees – including all public school employees. The law provides for up to 10 days of paid sick leave for full-time workers and paid sick leave commensurate with hours worked for part-time employees.
Leave is available for immediate use, regardless of how long the individual employee has been working for the employer. Full-time employees are entitled to 80 hours of paid sick time (the equivalent of 10 eight hour days). Part-time employees are entitled to the number of hours they ordinarily work on average over a 2-week period; for part-time employees with a variable schedule, leave is calculated based on the number of hours the employee was scheduled per day over the previous 6-month period.
The bill also amends the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to provide paid leave for childcare needs related to the coronavirus public health emergency for up to 12 weeks of leave.
Contact your UniServ Director if you have any questions about how the benefits may apply to you and your family.