Last updated: 03/25/2020. For the most current version, please visit thinkhr.com/covid19
INTRODUCTION
ThinkHR has been on the ground, supporting employers as COVID-19 continues to cause understandable concern and confusion. We hosted several COVID-19 webinars recently, drawing over 20,000 participants who were looking for answers about new legal obligations, workplace health, employee management, and business operations. Even after, hundreds of questions came flooding in.
Because we understand the biggest challenges facing employers, we created this list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) from our webinars to help employers get trusted answers. As we continue to hear from you, we will promptly update this resource.
The FFCRA and Other Applicable Leaves
What is the new federal COVID-19 law, and what does it do?
Effective April 1, 2020, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Act) is a federal law that would require employers to facilitate two major benefits. Under the new law employees must be given:
Up to two weeks of paid sick leave for illness, quarantine, or school closures related to COVID-19 (EPSL).
Up to 12 weeks of Family and Medical Leave Act leave to employees for school closures related to COVID-19 (EFMLA), most of which must be paid. A few exceptions apply.
Do we need to provide the required sick leave under this law in addition to the sick leave we already provide or can we lump it all together?
