TO:         Department Heads, Directors, Managers and Supervisors

FR:         Cindy Doherty, Director, Academic Personnel

               Cynthia Señeriz, Director, Human Resources

RE:         COVID-19 Related Leaves and Job Protections Guidance

We are sharing with you the most recent information concerning COVID-19 Related Leaves and Job Protections Guidance that has been issued by the Office of the President for both academic and staff employees.  The information shared below is summarized and intended to provide supervisors, business officers, and department heads with basic information to apply COVID-19 related leaves to employees who cannot work remotely or for which work is not available due to the California Stay at Home Order.  The specific details of each case will determine the entitlement to the employee, in accordance with the guidance issued by the Office of the President. You are strongly encouraged to consult with Human Resources or Academic Personnel, as appropriate, regarding specific employee situations. Contact information and resource links are listed at the end of this announcement.

Summary of Available Leaves

UC Expanded Paid Administrative Leave (PAL) FFCRA Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL) FFCRA Expanded Family & Medical Leave (EFML)
128 hours or 16 days for FTE prorated for part-time appointees 80 hours for FTE or the two-week equivalent for part-time appointees Up to 12 workweeks for any eligible appointee
March 1 – December 31, 2020 April 1 – December 31, 2020 April 1 – December 31, 2020
No prior service requirements No prior service requirements On payroll for 30 calendar days immediately prior to the leave
Must be taken in whole day increments but may be taken intermittently Must be taken in two-week block Must be taken in blocks of at minimum two-weeks
Qualifying reason for use – unable to work or telework because of:

1. Appointee’s own COVID-19 related illness or that of a family member4

2. Appointee directed not to come to worksite for COVID-19 related reasons and/or worksite has COVID-19 related remote work program or is under shelter in place order and it is not operationally feasible for employee to work remotely

3. COVID-19 related school or daycare closure requires appointee to be at home with child/dependent and it is not operationally feasible for appointee to work remotely or in conjunction with childcare commitment

The use of PAL “shall not adversely affect the delivery of essential University services” which includes instruction. Instructors are not eligible to take PAL during their scheduled remote lectures/class sessions for criterion 3 above.		 Qualifying reason for use – unable to work or telework because of:

1. Quarantine or isolation order

2. Told by health care provider to self-quarantine

3. Experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and seeking diagnosis

4. Caring for individual subject to quarantine/isolation order or who was told by health care provider to self-quarantine

5. Caring for child whose school/place of care is closed or child care provider unavailable b/c of COVID-19

6. Other substantially similar condition specified by HHS Secretary

Health care workers and emergency responders are not eligible to take EPSL for Reasons 4 or 5 above.

 Qualifying reason for use – unable to work or telework because of:

1. Caring for child whose school/place of care is closed or child care provider unavailable b/c of COVID-19 (same as reason #5 under EPSL)

Health care workers and emergency responders are not eligible for EFML. Any prior use of Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) entitlement in 2020 reduces appointee’s entitlement under EFML. Any use of EFML also reduces FMLA entitlement in 2020 assuming appointee is eligible for FMLA. First two weeks of EFML are unpaid unless appointee elects to use other available paid leave. An employee’s maximum potential paid entitlement under expanded family and medical leave is 10 workweeks

Employee requests for Expanded Family and Medical Leave must follow the existing FML submission and approval procedures as outlined by the Academic Personnel Office (for academic appointees) or the Human Resources Office (for staff employees).   A standard request form is under development by the Office of the President and will be posted soon. We will inform you when the form is available.

Instructions will be provided to Kronos Timekeepers for reporting COVID-19 related leaves by the ETSC Service Desk.

We know that there may be scenarios that do not precisely fit into the categories described above, please direct your questions to one of the points of contact listed below.  Questions should be specific to actual cases, and include as much information as possible to ensure a quick and accurate response.

Resources and contact information for:

All employees

Staff employees

Resources and contact information for academic employees