FFCRA and Holiday Pay
FFCRA and Holiday Pay Heading link
This communication is to clarify holiday pay with respect to the previous communication distributed in April 2020 regarding the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). 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.
Employees may be eligible for the benefits defined in the new Act starting April 1, 2020 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.
Under FFCRA, one of the leave options includes employees who may be eligible for a leave of absence if caring for their child due to school or day care closures or their childcare provider is unavailable due to COVID-19. Employees may apply for Emergency Paid Sick Leave and/or Expanded Family and Medical Leave time for the childcare reasons mentioned will be paid at 66.67% (2/3rds) of an employee’s regular rate of pay for the duration of the approved leave.
Employees who are normally eligible for holiday pay and are also on a FFCRA leave of absence paid at 66.67%, during a time period in which there is a University holiday, will be entitled to 100% compensation (at the employee’s normal work schedule) for the designated holiday. The holiday will continue to be counted toward the FFCRA Leave (Emergency Paid Sick Leave or Expanded FML) entitlement. However, the employee will receive their regular rate of pay (prorated at the employee’s FTE) for the holiday.
Holiday Pay Processing Steps for 66.67% Paid FFCRA Leaves
Civil Service Employees (Prior to Pay Calc Deadline):
- Emergency Paid Sick Leave (ERSL paid at 66.67%):
- Non-Exempt: Enter “HOL” earn code for “Holiday” on the timesheet for the date of the University Holiday
- Exempt: No leave/exception time is to be reported on the timesheet for the date of the University Holiday
- Expanded Family and Medical Leave (FML) (paid at 66.67%):
- Non-Exempt: Enter “FMH” earn code for “Family Leave Holiday” on the timesheet for the date of the University Holiday
- Exempt: Enter “FHR” earn code for “Family Leave Holiday” on the timesheet for the date of the University Holiday
Civil Service Employees (After Pay Calc Deadline):
- PARIS Current Pay Period Adjustment (CPA) to ensure pay is at employee’s normal compensation for the holiday that falls during eligible leave, or
- Process PARIS Prior Underpayment Adjustment (PUA) for remainder of pay needed to reflect full compensation for holiday that falls during eligible leave
Tracking Leave for Civil Service Employees
- Emergency Paid Sick Leave (ERSL): ANA Leave Balance Adjustment to ensure PEALEAV is updated for time counted as part of ERSL during University Holiday
- Expanded FML: Continue to track leave time during Holiday using FMLA Usage Spreadsheet
Monthly Employees (Prior to Pay Calc Deadline):
- HR Front End (HRFE) Leave of Absence transactions for FFCRA leaves applied by the Pay Calc deadline will account for full holiday pay during the eligible leave – no further action needed
Monthly Employees (After Pay Calc Deadline):
- PARIS Current Pay Period Adjustment (CPA) to ensure 100% pay (at employee’s FTE) for holiday that falls during eligible leave, or
- PARIS Prior Underpayment Adjustment (PUA) for remainder of pay needed to reflect full compensation for holiday that falls during eligible leave
Tracking Leave for Monthly Employees
- Emergency Paid Sick Leave (ERSL): Review/Update PEALEAV or AVSL to ensure ERSL is updated to account for the University Holiday
- Expanded FML: Continue to track leave time during University Holiday using FMLA Usage Spreadsheet
As mentioned above, if a University Holiday falls during a FFCRA Leave, the time will count towards the approved leave and should be documented as such for an employee. Please review the leave resources for FFCRA leaves posted on the UIC HR website at: https://hr.uic.edu/covid-19-hr-guidance-to-managers-and-employees/.
For leave of absence related questions, please contact the UIC HR Service Center at uichrleaves@uillinois.edu.