In response to the strains that COVID-19 and recommended responsive measures have placed on employers and employees, on March 18, 2020, Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201) (“FFCRA” or the “Act”), which President Trump signed the same day. Key features of the FFCRA that will be of interest to businesses include: (1) extending and expanding Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) coverage to address certain absences relating to the current pandemic and requiring paid FMLA leave benefits in some cases; (2) establishing a new paid sick leave entitlement for similar absences; and (3) providing certain tax credits to help employers shoulder some of the costs of these benefits.
In the alert linked below, we have provided answers to common questions business have posed about some of the FFCRA’s provisions.