COVID-19 Update: New paid leave policies for employees

Following the passage of the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), Austin Community College (ACC) is implementing two new policies regarding paid leave for employees as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak — the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) and Emergency Family Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLA).

These programs are available to all eligible employees, including adjunct faculty and hourly employees. To qualify, an employee must be on the ACC payroll and working either on-site or remotely as of the date of the leave request.

The Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA)
The EPSLA provides 10 work days (80 hours) of paid sick leave to eligible employees for health situations impacted by the COVID-19 virus. It also applies when an employee is caring for an individual who is subject to an order of quarantine, self-quarantine or isolation, or caring for an individual under self-quarantine or isolation.

The EPSLA also applies to an employee who's caring for a child whose school or place of care/provider is closed or unavailable due to COVID-19 and the employee is unable to work on-site or remotely due to child care issues.

The Emergency Family Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLA)
EFMLA is an extension of the college's current FMLA program and is available to eligible employees who are unable to work due to child care needs related to COVID-19 school or daycare closures. An employee in this situation may be eligible to apply for both EPSLA and EFMLA.

An employee approved for EPSLA will receive their regular rate of pay. Those approved for EFMLA will receive two-thirds their regular rate of pay during their leave based on a federal formula.

There are separate procedures and application forms for each type of leave.

More information can be found on the Human Resources benefits page and ACC's Coronavirus website.

For more information or questions, email the HR Benefits office at hrbenefits@austincc.edu.