The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued guidance for covered employers under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) on how to claim federal tax credits for paid sick and family leave wages, including details on the documentation the IRS will require from employers to prove eligibility for the credits. As…
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On April 1, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced new regulations interpreting the paid leave provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), on which we previously reported. The rules provide further guidance on eligibility for the 2 weeks of emergency paid sick leave (EPSL) for six…
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The Washington Employment Security Department (ESD) is asking for feedback by May 6, 2020, on proposed rules affecting the state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program. These proposals have nothing to do with the current pandemic or federal emergency leave benefits and are mostly minor technical changes. However, they do…
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On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) (H.R. 748) into law. This is the third federal relief package related to COVID-19, with $2.2 trillion directed to individuals, business, governments, and the public sector. Below are brief summaries of the provisions…
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As we previously reported, the Department of Labor (DOL) has begun issuing informal guidance surrounding the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) via an ever-expanding and changing set of questions and answers on the paid leave that is available beginning April 1, 2020. We’re hoping the DOL will issue actual rules…
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On March 25, 2020, Governor Inslee signed an amendment to the Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave (WPFML) program (SHB 2614). This bill doesn’t have anything to do with the current pandemic. Instead, it makes technical corrections to the WPFML program, to ensure the intent of the original bill is intact. The…
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According to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)’s Families First Coronavirus Response Act Notice – FAQs, the FFCRA poster must be provided to employees and new hires by the effective date of the law, which the DOL now says is April 1, 2020. This posting requirement only applies to covered employers, and would…
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The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has established April 1, 2020, as the effective date of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The law stated that it would “take effect not later than 15 days after the date of enactment,” which would mean April 2, 2020, at the latest. Apparently the DOL…
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The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which goes into effect April 1, 2020, expands the definitions of eligible employee and covered employer under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in a way that will affect employers who previously were too small to be covered by the FMLA.…
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On March 16, 2020, the Seattle City Council passed an amendment to Seattle’s Paid Sick and Paid Safe Time (PSST) law which expands the available reasons for leave, inspired by caregiver shortages and workplace closures caused by COVID-19 (coronavirus). The amendment became effective immediately on March 16, 2020, with no expiration…
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