There are Federal Laws affecting the Employer / Employment relationship during this Covid-19 pandemic. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) requires certain employers to provide their employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19.

FFCRA provides that covered employers must provide to all employees:

1. Two weeks (up to 80 hours) of paid sick leaveat 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 

2. Two weeks (up to 80 hours) of paid sick leaveat 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), or care for a child (under 18 years of age) whose school or child care provider is closed or unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19, and/or the employee is experiencing a substantially similar condition as specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Secretaries of the Treasury and Labor.

FFCRA provides that covered employers must provide to employees that it has employed for at least 30 days:

1. Up to an additional ten (10) weeks of paid expanded family and medical leaveat 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.

FFCRA defines “Covered Employers” as follows: Certain public employers, and private employers with fewer than 500 employees.

*Most employees of the federal government are covered by Title II of the Family and Medical Leave Act, which was not amended by this Act, and are therefore not covered by the expanded family and medical leave provisions of the FFCRA. However, federal employees covered by Title II of the Family and Medical Leave Act are covered by the paid sick leave provision.

*Small businesses with fewer than 50 employees may qualify for exemption from the requirement to provide leave due to school closings or child care unavailability if the leave requirements would jeopardize the viability of the business as a going concern.

If you are employed by an employer with less than 500 employees and have been denied paid leave or denied paid leave which was necessitated by caring for a child whose school or child care was closed due to the coronavirus, contact Lamb McErlane PC. 610-430-8000.  You have rights under FFCRA that can provide financial benefits to you.

John J. Stanzione is partner at Lamb McErlane PC. He concentrates his practice in workers compensation, employment, social security disability, personal injury, ERISA and commercial litigation.jstanzione@lambmcerlane.com, 610-430-8000.

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