The United States Department of Labor has now issued its fourth set of Questions & Answers to help employers navigate the complexities of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The IMA encourages manufacturers to
click here
to read through the list of most commonly asked questions because there are some significant interpretations.
Among the major changes or interpretations is that quarantine orders
may include
shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders which were previously excluded. This is not an automatic qualifier and our partners at
Greensfelder
note specifically:
- To be eligible, the non-essential employer/business must have work for the employee to do at home, but the employee is unable to do the work from home due to the shelter in place order.
- If the employer has no work for the employee to do at home because of the shelter in place order, for example, because the whole plant is shut down, or the employee’s job does not lend itself to working from home, the employee would not be eligible, and can only apply for unemployment.
An employee’s decision to self-quarantine must be supported by a directive or advice from health care provider. An employee is eligible for paid sick leave if a health care provider directs or advises the employee to stay home because the employee may have the COVID-19 virus or may be susceptible due to an underlying health condition. An employee
is not eligible
for paid sick leave simply by self-quarantining without medical advice or direction.
The IMA will be hosting another webinar/call on Tuesday, April 7 from 9:00 – 11:30 a.m. with attorney Scott Cruz from Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale P.C. who will summarize and answer questions about the FFCRA and its paid leave and extended FMLA benefits. This will be an extended call in order to try and answer all of the questions from IMA member companies. Please
click here to register
for this important and timely update.
