** This article was sent to all of our Bennett/Porter clients via email on 4/3/2020 **

As an employer, there is so much information to try to review and absorb right now in regards to the administration of the new regulations around COVID-19. We hope you are looking to us to be your trusted advisor as we continue to provide comprehensive and easy to understand Payroll and HR guidance during this challenging time.

The most common questions we are getting right now are around the obligations to offer Emergency Sick Leave and Emergency Family and Medical Leave (FFCRA) benefits and how to claim the credits for paying those benefits. Following is a summary:

With all the constant, fast-breaking news pertaining to COVID-19, you may not have heard that yesterday, President Trump signed the “phase two” stimulus legislation. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) provides paid leave for certain workers, enhances unemployment insurance, and ensures free testing for infection by the Coronavirus. Unemployment eligibility requirements have been eased by waiving the work search requirements as well as the waiting week before benefits can be claimed. This measure also helps take care of small businesses (those with fewer than 500 employees) by providing reimbursement through tax credits for offering the qualified paid leaves.

Following his a very high overview of the paid leave benefits. For additional, detailed information, we encourage you to refer to the H.R. 6201 Act passed by Congress.

Fourth quarter has begun, and January 1 of 2019 will be here before we know it. In 2017, the Washington State legislator passed the Family Leave Act (FLA) which provides up to 12 weeks (18 weeks in some limited circumstances) of paid family and medical leave in a 12-month period for eligible employees beginning in 2020. Eligible employees are those that have been employed by the employer for 12 months (which do not need to be consecutive months) and work a minimum of 820 hours in a qualifying period prior to the leave. The FLA will be monitored and administered by the Employment Security Department.