COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave Expires March 15th: What Employers Need to Know
Attention Employers! The Massachusetts COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave Program will end Tuesday, March 15, 2022. Employers should notify their employees of the impending end date and submit for reimbursement. Employers have until April 29, 2022 to do so.
As discussed in a previous post, Governor Charlie Baker signed the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Program into law last May. It provides employees up to 40 hours of COVID-19 emergency paid sick leave. “Sick leave,” for the purposes of this program, refers to leave needed to either: self-isolate to care for themselves or another, obtain care or treatment for COVID symptoms, or obtain and recover from a COVID immunization. Employers are eligible for reimbursement, either through the program’s fund, or, through the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The paid sick leave benefit is capped at $850 per week per eligible employee. All employees, including those employed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and its municipalities, remain eligible until the March 15th end date. Employers should notify their employees of the March 15th expiration date.
For more information on how employers can submit for reimbursement, click here.
If your business has any questions about this topic, or any other general employment issues, please do not hesitate to contact the attorneys at The Royal Law Firm at 413-586-2288.
