The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued frequently asked questions (FAQs) that address which employers are covered by the paid leave requirements of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The FFCRA requires covered employers to provide their employees with paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to…
Small and midsize employers may begin using two new refundable payroll tax credits to obtain reimbursement for the costs of providing coronavirus-related leave to their employees, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced on March 20, 2020. According to IRS Notice 2020-12, these credits are available for qualified leave wages…
The regulations, published April 6, 2020, clarify and explain the employee leave provisions under the FFRCA’s Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLEA) and Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA). While the corrections mainly address minor drafting errors in the regulations, some of the changes may impact employers’ implementation of the law. Substitution of…
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, enacted on March 27, 2020, provides federal funding to expand the availability of unemployment insurance (UI) benefits during the coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency. Under this law, virtually all types of workers, even those who otherwise would not qualify for UI benefits, may receive payments for…
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued temporary regulations under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The FFCRA created new employer requirements to provide paid sick leave and partially compensated, expanded FMLA leave for reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The regulations include important clarifications to the law and earlier DOL guidance on…
Under the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), eligible employers that keep employees on their payroll for specified reasons related to COVID-19 are eligible for employee retention tax credits. This Compliance Bulletin provides the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) on how the CARES Act retention tax credits…
As part of sweeping legislation—the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)—signed into law by President Trump on March 18, 2020, two laws were enacted that provide workers with paid leave for reasons related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The “Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act†allows 12 weeks of partially compensated FMLA leave to…
As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to spread, employers may get questions from employees about their health plan’s coverage for COVID-19 testing, including whether they will need to pay a deductible or copayment. This is a rapidly evolving issue, with many health insurance issuers announcing that they will voluntarily waive any cost sharing for COVID-19…
In light of the spread of COVID-19 in the United States, the Department of Labor (DOL) has published answers to frequently asked questions on how employers can stay in compliance with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which regulates wage and hour conditions for employees. When responding to pandemics or other public health emergencies,…
The U.S. Department of Labor has issued Q&As on the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and COVID-19 (the disease caused by the new coronavirus) and other health emergencies. The Q&As explain that under the FMLA, covered employers must provide eligible employees with job-protected, unpaid leave for specified family and medical reasons, which may include…