Employee Benefits & Policies During COVID-19

Families First Coronavirus Response Act Information for Employees

The federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) is effective beginning Wednesday, April 1, 2020.

Under the FFCRA, certain employees, excluding health care providers and emergency responders, may be eligible for the Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL) program and the new federal Emergency Family and Medical Leave Act (EFMLA). The EPSL program provides eligible employees up to an additional 80 hours of paid sick leave to provide care for family members or themselves, and the EFMLA expands regular FMLA to allow child care needs to be a qualifying reason for FMLA, if schools or places of care are closed, or child care providers are unavailable, due to COVID-19 precautions.

See the Addendum to Policy #1499 and the Department of Labor’s (DOL) “Employee Rights” Notification for information relating to eligibility, paid leave entitlements, and qualifying reasons for leave. 

Download the FFCRA request form (PDF) here.

Employees whose work falls within the City’s list of Priority I and Priority II functions (see sec. 4(2), Policy #1499 below) meet the DOL’s definition of “health care provider” or “emergency responder” for purposes of the FFCRA, and, therefore, are not eligible for the EPSL and EFMLA programs. This exemption is due to the critical functions these employees provide to maintain the health, safety and welfare of the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Policy 1499: Temporary Policy and Administrative Guidelines relating to the COVID-19 Pandemic 

View policy

Employee Travel Notice

(1) Work-related Travel

All official City travel out of state is prohibited, and employees are prohibited from attending any work-related event in state with an estimated attendance of 10 or more persons. Employees are encouraged, to the greatest extent possible, to use technology to avoid meeting in person, including virtual meetings, teleconference, and remote work.

(2) Personal Travel

The CDC recommends staying home as much as possible and practicing social distancing. Traveling increases the chances of getting and spreading COVID-19. Employees who choose to travel shall comply with any federal, state, county, or local emergency or public health order, if any, in effect at the time of travel for the planned destination, and shall follow all other applicable public health recommendations or guidance relating to mass gathering size limits, physical distancing and protective measure requirements.