Published Thursday, April 2, 2020 at 6:17pm
Dear Employees,
During this unprecedented time with COVID-19, we hope that our MCCCD family and extended families are healthy and safe. On March 18, 2020, the Department of Labor enacted the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which creates two new emergency paid leave requirements which went into effect April 1, and are effective through December 31, 2020 in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
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The “Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act” (EPSLA), entitles full-time and all part-time employees who cannot work (or telework) to take up to two weeks of paid sick leave if they are diagnosed with COVID-19 or if they are placed under mandatory quarantine by public health authorities. Please see the District guidelines and procedures for additional guidance.
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The “Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act” (EFMLEA), permits certain employees to take up to twelve weeks of expanded family and medical leave. Under this provision, employees are provided with 12 weeks of leave (the first two unpaid, the remaining 10 paid) if they are unable to work (or telework) due to the need to care for a son or daughter under 18 years of age when the child’s school or place of care has been closed due to a public health emergency; or the child care provider is unavailable due to a public health emergency. Please see the District guidelines and procedures for additional guidance.
In addition, MCCCD has expanded policies to allow for additional leave, such as:
Advanced Sick Leave
Advanced Sick Leave will be available for employees who have exhausted all accrued leave. The District guidelines on Advanced Sick Leave is here. In brief, it permits employees who accrue leave to be advanced a maximum of 80 hours of sick leave.
Compassionate Leave
In addition, for the purposes of COVID-19, the District is broadening the availability of its Compassionate Leave. The District guidelines are available here. It increases the amount of leave that employees may donate to the Compassionate Leave bank. It is also making it possible for employees to use leave from the Compassionate Leave Bank for COVID 19-related reasons, including the employee’s own illness, the employee’s need to care for a household member who is ill, and the employee’s need to be quarantined. Employees must have exhausted all accrued leave including the advanced sick leave option before applying for Compassionate Leave. Due to changing guidelines for COVID-19 at the federal level, we will be evaluating Compassionate Leave on a case-by-case basis.
Leave Reference Chart
Leave Type |
Use For |
Applicable To |
Length of Leave |
Apply Through |
---|---|---|---|---|
Emergency Paid Sick Leave |
Employee unable to work (or telework) due to the criteria listed in the Policy under section C.Policy, 2. Entitlement to Leave, a.-f. |
All employees who have worked at least one day |
Up to 80 hours.
*Can be combined with Public Health Emergency Leave |
Notify Supervisor and College HR |
Emergency Family and Medical Leave, Expansion Act’s Public Health Emergency Leave |
Care of a child due to child’s school, place of care, or provider is close or unavailable due to a public health emergency |
All employees who have worked at least 30 days |
12 weeks Total,
*Can be used with Emergency Paid Sick Leave, Regular Sick, or Regular Vacation |
Notify HR Solutions Leaves department at fmla-leaves@domail.maricopa.edu |
Advanced Sick Leave |
An employee who has exhausted all leave may be granted Advanced Sick Leave (to be paid back at a later time) if the employee meets the criteria under policy section C.Policy, 1. Eligibility. |
All employees who accrue sick leave |
Up to 80 hours of advanced leave.
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Notify HR Solutions Center at dl-dssc-hr-solutions-center@domail.maricopa.edu |
Compassionate Leave |
Any employee that meets the criteria under policy section C.Policy,2.Eligibility, a.-i. |
All employees who accrue sick leave |
These will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis |
Notify HR Solutions Center at dl-dssc-hr-solutions-center@domail.maricopa.edu |
If you need assistance with time off due to illness or caring for a child, speak to your supervisor and contact your local HR to discuss the steps to take. You can find additional information including FAQs on the Human Resources Policies and Procedures website.