Overview
Since April 1, 2020, employees have been able to utilize two benefits passed by the FFCRA emergency federal legislation, Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLEA) and Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL). These benefits expired on December 31, 2020, as they were not included in the second round of stimulus legislation/COVID-19 Economic Relief Bill-HR 133.
What is Orange County Government doing?
Emergency family and medical leave for COVID-19 related child care purposes, as previously provided by the EFMLEA, sunset on December 31, 2020. This leave is unable to continue without federal legislative action. However, effective January 1, 2021, management may place employees on a one-time Relief of Duty w/pay leave for absences related to employee COVID-19 quarantine/illness, through June 30, 2021. This leave may not exceed 80 hours and may only be authorized for employees who have not accessed the previous FFCRA Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL) benefit.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What was the effective date of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which included the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act?
The FFCRA’s paid leave provisions were effective on April 1, 2020, and applied to leave taken between April 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020.
- I was eligible for leave under the FFCRA in 2020 but I did not use any leave. Am I still entitled to take paid sick or expanded family and medical leave after December 31, 2020?
Your employer is not required to provide you with FFCRA leave after December 31, 2020, but your employer may voluntarily decide to provide you such leave. The obligation to provide FFCRA leave applies from the law’s effective date of April 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020. Any change to extend the requirement to provide leave under the FFCRA would require an amendment to the statute by Congress. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, extended employer tax credits for paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave voluntarily provided to employees until June 30, 2021. However, this Act did not extend an eligible employee’s entitlement to FFCRA leave beyond December 31, 2020.
For More Information
Contact your immediate supervisor or Human Resources at 407-836-5661.