What Employers Need to Know about the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)

With schools returning to class in some fashion next week, many working parents are finding themselves challenged at home. For employers, it’s also a time to worry if an employee can’t come to work because of a lack of school or childcare. For those of you with employees, here are some things to consider.

Your employees can apply for emergency paid FMLA under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Emergency paid leave is available under certain circumstances.

Employees can take paid leave under the FFCRA:

• If a child is out of school due to COVID-19, the employee can take 12 weeks of paid leave if their child’s school or place of care is closed due to the coronavirus, and the employee is unable to work or telework. During the first 10 days of this leave, employees may substitute accrued PTO or sick time.
• When their child’s school has online learning and expected to complete assignments and the physical school is closed.
• If a hybrid model of a partial school open with online learning, an employee may be able to take intermittent paid leave – but it’s up to the employer. You may want to activate a modified work agreement with the employee.

Employees can’t take paid leave under the FFCRA:

• The child’s school is open but the parent opts to home school them instead.

Now is the time to set a policy to address the challenges your employees might soon face. If you have any questions about this topic, please reach out to use at Halsey Resources. We are here to help you navigate running your business during these troubling times.