For Federal Employees: OPM has Summarized the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act

On April 22, 2020, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) summarized COVID-19 legislation applicable to Federal employees. The link to the OPM summary is: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/covid-19/opm-summary-of-statutory-and-regulatory-requirements-in-connection-with-the-emergency-paid-sick-leave-act-epsla.pdf Or use search terms such as April 22, 2020 OPM summary statutory regulatory requirements the-emergency-paid-sick-leave-act..

“The Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA, division E of the FFCRA) provides employees with up to 2 weeks (up to 80 hours) of paid sick leave in specified circumstances related to COVID-19—unless they are in an exempted category as described below. This paid sick leave is in addition to any other paid leave entitlements. * * * EPSLA paid sick leave is available for use during the period from April 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020.” “Short Summary,” OPM Memo, p. 1.

The applicable laws and other sources of information that OPM summarized are: OPM Memo , p. 1

Statutes: The Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA), which is division E of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”, H.R. 6201, Public Law 116-127, March 18, 2020); the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”, H.R. 748, Public Law 116-136, March 27, 2020). https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/6201 https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/748

Regulations: Temporary rule announced on April 1, 2020 by the Department of Labor (DOL) at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/ffcra and published in Federal Register, April 6, 2020, at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-04-06/pdf/2020-07237.pdf; corrections to the temporary rule published in Federal Register, April 10, 2020, at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-04-10/pdf/2020-07711.pdf.

DOL Guidance: Fact Sheets, Questions and Answers, Posters, etc. available at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic

The OPM memo is comprehensive on things such as qualifying conditions for family leave during the COVID-19 pandemic. So, if you need emergency leave, please read the memo, first. If you have questions call your human resources personnel, second. You should not need an attorney on this one but call, if you do. Stay safe. And thank you Bill W. for bringing this summary to my attention.