Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Flyer(PDF, 177KB)
Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Request Form(PDF, 1MB)
We wanted to provide everyone with information on a new state legislated COVID-19 related paid sick leave. Effective March 29, 2021, SB 95 provides up to 80 hours of supplemental paid sick leave to employees who are unable to work or telework because of qualifying COVID-19 related reasons. This leave is retroactive to January 1, 2021 and runs through September 30, 2021.
As many of you know, in 2020 the federal government enacted a COVID-19 sick leave and childcare leave program, known as the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which expired at the end of 2020. This new leave is a State law/program but it is structured similarly to the FFCRA leave program.
Below is a brief summary of the COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave (SPSL) program. Please see the flyer(PDF, 177KB) from the State’s Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) for additional information or visit SPSL FAQs at: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/COVID19Resources/FAQ-for-SPSL-2021.html
Please fill out the Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Request Form(PDF, 1MB) and contact Sabina Netto at snetto@alamedaca.gov to request leave or with any questions.
Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Overview
- Who is Covered and Amount of Leave - All employees who have worked 30 days are eligible for the equivalent of two weeks of leave (80 hours, 72 hours, etc.). For employees who work a variable, part-time schedule, we will look at the average hours worked over the last 6 months to determine the hours equivalent to two weeks.
- Amount of Leave - Similar to the FFCRA, there is a daily cap of $511 so depending on wage and schedule, some employees may be eligible for less than their full wage replacement and will need to supplement with accrued leaves or leave without pay. Please note that if the leave is used for family care/childcare, the cap is still $511 per day (with the FFCRA, the cap was $200 per day for childcare leave and leave to care for another qualified person).
- Qualified Reasons for Leave (must be unable to telework)
- The covered employee is subject to a quarantine or isolation period related to COVID-19 as defined by an order or guidelines of the State Department of Public Health, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or a local health officer who has jurisdiction over the workplace. If the covered employee is subject to more than one of the foregoing, the covered employee shall be permitted to use COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave for the minimum quarantine or isolation period under the order or guidelines that provides for the longest such minimum period.
- The covered employee has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID-19.
- The covered employee is attending an appointment to receive a vaccine for protection against contracting COVID-19. NOTE: can be used if time exceeds two hours, since the City is providing two hours of paid time for receiving the vaccine.
- The covered employee is experiencing symptoms related to a COVID-19 vaccine that prevent the employee from being able to work or telework.
- The covered employee is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and seeking a medical diagnosis.
- The covered employee is caring for a family member, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 245.5, who is subject to an order or guidelines described in subparagraph (A) or who has been advised to self-quarantine, as described in subparagraph (B).
- The covered employee is caring for a child, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 245.5, whose school or place of care is closed or otherwise unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19 on the premises.
- Retro Active Leave Usage - While this law goes into effect today, March 29, 2021, its provisions are applied retroactively to January 1, 2021. So, if you used leave hours for a qualified reason as noted above you could reverse any accrued leave usage to SPSL hours going back to January 1, 2021. NOTE: if you used City provided COVID 19 paid administrative leave (pay codes 135, 136, and 152), then that leave would not be reversed to the new SPSL leave.
Please reach out with any questions about this new leave.
Human Resources: hr@alamedaca.gov or (510) 747-4900