Families First Coronavirus Response Act

Posted on April 02, 2020

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) was recently signed into law. This act amended the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 and created the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act to help protect families and workers during the COVID-19 outbreak and is effective April 1, 2020.

Employees may be eligible for the benefits defined in the new Act through December 31, 2020, provided they meet the qualifying criteria outlined in the Act, and they are unable to work or telework because of COVID-19 conditions.  The main components of the act are as follows:

Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act

  • All employees are eligible from first day of employment.
  • Sick Leave benefits are paid at varying rates (either 100% or 66.67%) based on the qualifying reasons.
  • Qualifying reasons for emergency sick leave paid at 100% of regular rate of pay:
  • 1. Employee is subject to a Federal, State, or local quarantine or isolation order;
  • 2. Employee has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine;
  • 3. Employee is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and seeking a medical diagnosis;

    • Qualifying reasons for emergency sick leave paid at 66.67% (2/3) of regular rate of pay:

  • 4. Employee is caring for an individual who is subject to an order described in (1) or (2) above;
  • 5. Employee is caring for child of such employee if school or day care has been closed, or child care provider is unavailable*;
  • 6. Employee is experiencing any other substantially similar condition specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Labor.

    • Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act

    • Employees eligible after 30 days of employment
    • Qualifying reason for extended FMLA: employee is unable to work (or telework) because school or day care has been closed due to COVID-19, or care provider is unavailable*

    *Expanded Family and Medical Leave is available to continue leave for qualifying reason #5 above.

    Please visit the COVID-19 HR Guidance to HR Managers and Employees page on the UIC Human Resources (UICHR) website or refer to the System HR Families First Coronavirus Response Act resource page for more informative details of the leave benefits.

    New Required Poster

    The U.S. Department of Labor issued a workplace FFCRA employment poster. Given many employees are working from home, employees will be notified of the poster by email. When normal operations resume, we’ll send a reminder to display this poster in your building or facility.

    Please note that managers in the Hospital will receive a separate communication with additional guidance.

    Questions can be directed to UIC Human Resources via email at uichrleaves@uillinois.edu or via phone at (312) 413-3490.

    Modified on July 07, 2021