A public library director in New Jersey had questions regarding both of these Acts. Our Human Resources Department at Thomas Edison State University was able to provide a great deal of information as well as web sites to access.

The Family First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)

The Family First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) is a temporary emergency benefit that expires December 31, 2020 and is specific to circumstances that arise from COVID-19.  Please refer to the links at the bottom of this document for detailed information and FAQ’s on the FFCRA.

The FFCRA is comprised of two components:

1. Emergency Paid Sick Leave (E-PSL)
2. Emergency Family Medical Leave (E-FMLA)

I.  Emergency Paid Sick Leave (E-PSL)

              E-PSL provides up to 80 hours of paid leave for eligible employees and can be taken if unable to work (or telework) because an employee:

1. is subject to a Federal, State, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19:

• employees that travel to any of the impacted international and national COVID-19 locations must self-quarantine for 14 days.  If an employee is unable to work (or telework) than can utilize E-PSL.

2. has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine related to COVID-19; includes the following situations:

• the employee has COVID-19;
• the employee might have COVID-19; or
• the employee is particularly vulnerable to COVID-19.

1. is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and is seeking a medical diagnosis;
2. is caring for an individual subject to an order described in (1) or self-quarantine as described in (2);
3. is caring for a child whose school or place of care is closed (or child care provider is unavailable) for reasons related to COVID-19; or
4. is experiencing any other substantially-similar condition specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Secretaries of Labor and Treasury.

II.  Emergency FMLA (E-FMLA)

Eligible employees who are unable to work (or telework) due to a need to care for their child when a school or place of care has been closed, or when the regular child care provider is unavailable due to a public health emergency with respect to COVID-19.

Generally, employers covered under the FFCRA must provide employees up to two weeks (80 hours), or a part-time employee’s two-week equivalent) of paid sick leave based on the higher of their regular rate of pay, or the applicable state or Federal minimum wage, paid at:

• 100% for qualifying reasons #1 through #3 above, up to $511 daily and $5,110 total;
• 2/3 for qualifying reasons #4 and #6 above, up to $200 daily and $2,000 total; and

• Up to 12 weeks of combined 2 weeks of sick leave (E-PSL) and 10 weeks of expanded family and medical leave paid (E-FMLA) at 2/3 for qualifying reason #5 above for up to $200 daily and $12,000 total.

• What NJ Workers Need to Know About the Families First Coronavirus Response Act
• Families First Coronavirus Response Act FAQ for State Employees
• Families First Coronavirus Response Act Guidelines for State Employees

I hope this information is helpful to other directors.

Kathleen Moeller-Peiffer

Deputy State Librarian for Library Support Services