As reported by Inc. , President Trump last night signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) , a bill intended to address economic impacts of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The bill is to go into effect 15 days after being signed.

The FFCRA covers companies with up to 500 employees. According to the National Law Review , the bill requires employers to provide paid sick time to any COVID-19-affected employee who is unable to work or telework for any of the following reasons:

  • The employee is subject to a federal, state, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19.
  • The employee has been advised by a health-care provider to self-quarantine because of concerns related to COVID-19.
  • The employee is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and seeking medical diagnosis.
  • The employee is caring for an individual who is subject to a federal, state, or local quarantine order or has been advised to self-quarantine because of concerns related to COVID-19.
  • The employee is caring for the employee’s son or daughter, if the child’s school or child-care facility has been closed or the child’s care provider is unavailable because of COVID-19 precautions.
  • The employee is experiencing any other substantially similar condition specified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in consultation with the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Labor.

According to the Inc. analysis, under the FFCRA:

  • Employees who are on sick leave because they are sick can receive their full pay—up to $511 per day—or $5,110 total. The leave is unpaid under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
  • Employees who are on sick leave to care for a son or daughter whose school or child-care facility has closed can receive two-thirds of their regular rate of pay—up to $200 per day—or $10,000 total.
  • Employees cannot be forced by their employer to use vacation or other sick time before receiving this benefit.
  • There is a waiting period of 10 days before this benefit applies. Employees can use existing sick or vacation time to cover those days.

Employers, meanwhile, receive tax credits for 100 percent of what they pay to employees under the FFCRA. Employers with 50 or fewer employees can be exempted from these requirements by the U.S. Secretary of Labor, while employers with fewer than 25 employees are not required to restore employees to their previous positions.

AMCA encourages members to ensure they understand the FFCRA and how it applies to their business, as well as to stay abreast of state- and city-level executive orders that may add additional requirements and/or benefits.