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Congress Passes Coronavirus Aid Law

March 23, 2020



Congress Passes Coronavirus Aid Law - Legislation Requires Two Types of Paid Employee Leave

 

On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the Act) into law. The Act requires employers to provide paid leave for some employees related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, among other measures. The Act takes effect no later than 15 days after it is signed by the president.

 

Paid Sick Leave

Among other measures, the law requires 80 hours of paid sick leave for government workers and employees of companies with fewer than 500 employees. Compensation caps apply.

 

Leave would be available to workers who: 

·    Are or may be sick with COVID-19;

·    Have to care for a family member with the illness; or

·    Have a child whose school or child care facility is closed (or whose child care provider is unavailable) due to the illness.

 

Paid FMLA Leave

The bill would also require partially paid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act when an employee is unable to work or telework due to a school or child care closure related to the coronavirus. This benefit would be available to individuals who have worked for their employer for at least 30 days.

 

Benefits under the law expire Dec. 31, 2020.


Health Plans Must Cover COVID-19 Testing At No Charge

 

On March 18, 2020, the U.S. Congress passed its second coronavirus relief measure – the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Act). President Trump is expected to sign the bill into law. 

The Act requires group health plans and health insurance issuers to cover COVID-19 testing without imposing any cost sharing (such as deductibles, copayments or coinsurance) or prior authorization or other medical management requirements. This coverage mandate applies to the following health plans and issuers, regardless of grandfathered status under the Affordable Care Act (ACA):

·    All fully insured group health plans

·    All self-insured group health plans

·    Health insurance issuers offering group or individual coverage

This coverage mandate does NOT require health plans and issuers to cover COVID-19 treatment at no charge. Exact coverage details for COVID-19 treatment, including any cost-sharing amounts, will vary by plan.



Members Encouraged to Pay Attention to DOL Guidelines

 

Because guidelines continue to change, we encourage you to pay attention to the Department of Labor for your state. Below is a letter that went out recently from The Payroll Gal for the state of Georgia.

 

The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) has adopted an emergency Rule 300-2-4-0.5 Partial Claims, effective March 16, 2020. The rule mandates all Georgia employers to file partial claims online on behalf of their employees for any week during which an employee (full-time/part-time) works less than full-time due to a partial or total company shutdown caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency. Any employer found to be in violation of this rule will be required to reimburse GDOL for the full amount of unemployment insurance benefits paid to the employee. Download the How Employers File Partial Claims Desk-Aid found on the GDOL Alert Page and follow the step-by-step instructions.

 

Filing partial claims results in your employees receiving unemployment insurance (UI) benefit payments faster, usually within 48 hours for claims filed electronically. Employees for whom you file a partial claim are NOT required to report to a Georgia Department of Labor career center, register for employment services, or look for other work.

 

Please continue to monitor our website at gdol.ga.gov for any updates to these guidelines.

If you have questions surrounding this mandate or others that require an HR expert, TSG-HR Help Desk has opened their 800-hotline to all businesses through April 3, 2020 for FREE. Please call 800-961-3053, option 1. Open 8-5 EST. This hotline has SHRM certified generalists taking calls, so you will be in good hands.  


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