After the passage of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and the initial round of Department of Labor (DOL) guidance issued last week, employers began developing action plans on how to deal with their workforce amid a continually changing landscape, including numerous State orders requiring schools and businesses to close and for individuals to “stay at home.”
The Emergency FMLA Expansion Act and the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (Acts) are being carefully considered, and employers are preparing to offer these benefits to employees in numerous situations. For more detailed information on these Acts, which are set forth under the FFCRA, please see our previous Client Alert.
However, late last week, the DOL updated its initial list of 14 FAQs with an additional 23 new questions and answers. The updated DOL guidance can be found here: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic/ffcra-questions. Moreover, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was signed into law on Friday which modifies certain provisions of the FFCRA. These matters are set forth below.
EPSLA: Worksites Closing Due to Shelter In Place Orders Will Not Qualify for Paid Sick Leave
Under the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA), one of the reasons an employer must provide employees with paid sick time is if they are unable to work (or telework) due to a need for leave because:
- The employee is subject to a Federal, State, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19;
Questions and Answers #23 and 24 state that if an employer closes its worksite, either before or after April 1, 2020 when the Acts become effective, leave under the Acts is not warranted during the period of closure. Significantly, it goes on to state:
This is true whether your employer closes your worksite for lack of business or because it is required to close pursuant to a Federal, State, or local directive.
Instead, employees are encouraged to contact their State workforce agency or unemployment insurance office to answer questions about eligibility.
Question and Answer #25 also states that paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave already being provided will stop as of the date the employer closes its worksite.
Moreover, the DOL guidance addresses circumstances of employers who remain open but furlough employees due to lack of work. That also does not qualify under the Acts. See Question and Answer #26:
If my employer is open, but furloughs me on or after April 1, 2020 (the effective date of the FFCRA), can I receive paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave?
No. If your employer furloughs you because it does not have enough work or business for you, you are not entitled to then take paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave. However, you may be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits. You should contact your State workforce agency or State unemployment insurance office for specific questions about your eligibility. For additional information, please refer to https://www.careeronestop.org/LocalHelp/service-locator.aspx.
Question and Answer #27 addresses what happens if a worksite closes and then later reopens. Leave may only be available when the worksite is open.
Question and Answer #28 discusses availability of leave for reduced hours. Again, not having enough work for an employee to do does not qualify; however, an employee who is unable to work his/her full schedule due to a COVID-19 qualifying reasons is entitled to leave under the Acts.
Employees Must be Unable to Conduct Work that Employers Have for Them To Do
The DOL guidance states that the employer must have work for employees to do, and the employee must be unable to work or telework for one of the COVID-19 specified reasons to be entitled to leave under the Acts. See Question and Answer #18:
What does it mean to be unable to work, including telework for COVID-19 related reasons?
You are unable to work if your employer has work for you and one of the COVID-19 qualifying reasons set forth in the FFCRA prevents you from being able to perform that work, either under normal circumstances at your normal worksite or by means of telework.
If you and your employer agree that you will work your normal number of hours, but outside of your normally scheduled hours (for instance early in the morning or late at night), then you are able to work and leave is not necessary unless a COVID-19 qualifying reason prevents you from working that schedule.
Documentation Requirements for Leave Taken Under the Acts
While the Acts did not list any documentation or substantiation requirements for entitled leaves, the DOL provides guidance in Question and Answer #15:
What records do I need to keep when my employee takes paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave?
If one of your employees takes paid sick leave under the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act, you must require your employee to provide you with appropriate documentation in support of the reason for the leave, including: the employee’s name, qualifying reason for requesting leave, statement that the employee is unable to work, including telework, for that reason, and the date(s) for which leave is requested. Documentation of the reason for the leave will also be necessary, such as the source of any quarantine or isolation order, or the name of the health care provider who has advised you to self-quarantine. For example, this documentation may include a copy of the Federal, State or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19 applicable to the employee or written documentation by a health care provider advising the employee to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID-19. If you intend to claim a tax credit under the FFCRA for your payment of the sick leave wages, you should retain this documentation in your records. You should consult Internal Revenue Service (IRS) applicable forms, instructions, and information for the procedures that must be followed to claim a tax credit, including any needed substantiation to be retained to support the credit.
If one of your employees takes expanded family and medical leave to care for his or her child whose school or place of care is closed, or child care provider is unavailable, due to COVID-19, under the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act, you must require your employee to provide you with appropriate documentation in support of such leave, just as you would for conventional FMLA leave requests. For example, this could include a notice that has been posted on a government, school, or day care website, or published in a newspaper, or an email from an employee or official of the school, place of care, or child care provider. This requirement also applies when the first two weeks of unpaid leave run concurrently with paid sick leave taken for the same reason. If you intend to claim a tax credit under the FFCRA for the expanded family and medical leave, you should retain this documentation in your records. You should consult IRS applicable forms, instructions, and information for the procedures that must be followed to claim a tax credit, including any needed substantiation to be retained to support the credit.
Question and Answer #16 sets forth the records that an employee must provide an employer.
Other DOL FAQ Highlights
The updated FAQs address numerous other circumstances, including:
- Intermittent leaves under the Acts while teleworking
- Intermittent leaves under the Acts while working at employer’s worksite
- Continuation of group health plan coverage
- Interaction of employer paid time off policies with leave rights under the Acts
- Unavailability of tax credits for amounts employers pay in excess of the Acts’ requirements
- Whether leaves under the Acts can be taken in conjunction with unemployment insurance
- How employers who are part of a multiemployer collective bargaining agreement can satisfy their obligations under the Acts
How the CARES Act Affects Leave Entitlements under the FFCRA
The FFCRA was also modified slightly by the CARES Act, which was enacted on Friday, March 27, 2020. Changes include:
- Under the FMLA Expansion Act, employees who have been employed for at least 30 calendar days by the employer are eligible for the leave if they have a qualifying need related to a public health emergency. The CARES Act adds a provision for rehired employees, including in the definition of “eligible employee” the following:
- an employee who was laid off by that employer not earlier than March 1, 2020, had worked for the employer for not less than 30 of the last 60 calendar days prior to the employee’s layoff, and was rehired by the employer.
- With respect to tax credits under the FMLA Expansion Act and the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act, the CARES Act amends the FFCRA to provide for advancing credits, up to the amount of the tax credit allowed, calculated through the end of the most recent payroll period in the quarter. Forms and instructions regarding this advanced credit will be forthcoming.
The DOL also updated its questions and answers regarding the FFCRA poster requirements. Specifically, it added guidance clarifying that the notice must be “posted” by April 1, 2020. See https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic/ffcra-poster-questions.
Again, the poster can be found here: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WHD/posters/FFCRA_Poster_WH1422_Non-Federal.pdf.
As you are well aware, the law and guidance are rapidly evolving in this area. Please check with your Fraser Trebilcock attorney for the most recent updates.
This alert serves as a general summary, and does not constitute legal guidance. Please contact us with any specific questions.
We have created a response team to the rapidly changing COVID-19 situation and the law and guidance that follows, so we will continue to post any new developments. You can view our COVID-19 Response Page and additional resources by following the link here. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact your Fraser Trebilcock attorney.
Elizabeth H. Latchana specializes in employee health and welfare benefits. Recognized for her outstanding legal work, in both 2019 and 2015, Beth was selected as “Lawyer of the Year” in Lansing for Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law by Best Lawyers, and in 2017 as one of the Top 30 “Women in the Law” by Michigan Lawyers Weekly. Contact her for more information on this reminder or other matters at 517.377.0826 or elatchana@fraserlawfirm.com.