April 7, 2020 Cynthia 0 Comments

Paid Leave Requirements of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act

Families First Coronavirus Response Act

 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 reasons relating to COVID-19.  

Is Your Employer Required to Comply?

The FFCRA applies to certain public employers, and private employers with fewer than 500 employees.  However, small business with less than 50 employers may be exempt from the requirement to provide leave due to school closings or child care unavailability if the leave requirements would jeopardize the business. 

What Does the FFCRA Provide For Me?

The FFCRA provides that employers must provide all employees:

  • Two weeks (up to 80 hours) of paid sick leave at the employee’s regular rate of pay where the employee is unable to work because the employee is quarantined, and/or experiencing COVID-10 symptoms and seeking a medical diagnoses.
  • Two weeks (up to 80 hours) of paid sick leave at two-thirds the employee’s regular rate of pay  because the employee is unable to work because the employee must care for an adult subject to quarantine or a child whose school or child care provider is closed for reasons related to COVID-19.
 
The Act provides that employers must provide to employees it has employed for at least 30 days:
 
  • Up to an additional 10 weeks of paid expanded family and medical leave at two-third the employee’s regular rate of pay where the employee is unable to work due to the need to care for a child whose school or child care provided is closed or unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19
 
 

Need More Information?

You can find more information using the link below.

~ US Dept of Labor – FFCRA Questions and Answers

 

What If My Employer Does Not Follow the FFCRA?

If your employer is a covered employer and is not following the rules of the FFCRA, or if your employer terminates you or in any other manner discriminated against you for taking leave in accordance with the FFCRA your employer will be considered to have failed to pay minimum wage in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act and subject to penalties including reinstating you (if you were terminated), paying you two times your unpaid wages, and paying your attorney’s fees and costs

Integrate Legal Can Help

Integrate Legal is available to help you if your employer is not complying with the FFCRA. Set up a free consultation with me at Integrate Legal so we can discuss your next steps.

The information in this blog post (“post”) is provided for general informational purposes only, and may not reflect the current law in your jurisdiction. No information contained in this post should be construed as legal advice from Integrate Legal, PC or the individual author, nor is it intended to be a substitute for legal counsel on any subject matter. No reader of this post should act or refrain from acting on the basis of any information included in, or accessible through, this Post without seeking the appropriate legal or other professional advice on the particular facts and circumstances at issue from a lawyer licensed in the recipient’s state, country or other appropriate licensing jurisdiction.

Paid Leave Requirements of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act was last modified: April 10th, 2020 by Cynthia

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