Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor issued temporary regulations addressing paid leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The FFCRA provides up to 80 hours of paid sick leave, capped at $511 per day and $5110 in the aggregate for care related to the employee, and $200 per day and $2,000 in the aggregate for care related to others, for certain COVID-related reasons. It also expands the FMLA to require FFCRA-covered employers to give paid leave to employees who need to care for a child whose school is closed or whose childcare provider is unavailable due to COVID-19. Along with the expanded FAQs on the DOL’s website, these regulations clarify certain areas of the law, discussed further below.
Read MoreOn April 3, 2020, New York State enacted state-wide mandatory sick leave, which employees may begin using on January 1, 2021. This leave is in addition to the emergency paid sick leave for COVID-related reasons, which was enacted a few weeks ago. Employers in New York City and Westchester will find the new law similar to the existing local requirements, with some changes.
Read MoreThe federal Department of Labor and New York State have issued additional guidance in the form of FAQs clarifying some of the ambiguities in the recently enacted leave laws. Below is a brief summary of some of the relevant clarifications.
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