A Message From E-alt I1 and Hum Human Resources April 5. EDEEI Employee and Supervisor Guidelines for Agency Authorized Emergency Leave and the Families First Eoronavirus Response Act To: All HHS-C Team Members The Health and Human Servica. Commission has approved leveraging the existing emergency Seave policies and our authority to address the current DUMB-19 pandemic for absences related to specific situations for Eeave ialcen beginning March 1r 2020. In addition, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act was recently adopted and signed into 'an.Tl1e FFERA requires employers lilce HHSC to provide paid leave after the first days of unpaid leave for a new qualifying need the need to care for a child under 13 whose school or child care provider is closed or unavailable. The law also provides paid sick leave to full-time employee in the amount of ED hours [which covers the 1D clays of unpaid leave under the FMLA amendmenis The paid leave provisions are effective April 1, 232D, and apply to leave talcen between April 1, 2920 and DEC. 31, EUEU. Under Department of Labor temporary regulations, health care providers include anyr individual who is capable of providing heaith care services necessary to combat the public health emergency.I to include not only medical professionals but also other worlcers who are needed to lceep hospitals and similar health care facilities well supplied and operational. ?ns a result. employees of state supported living centers and state hospitals are health care providers and emergency responders as defined in the temporary regulations and are excluded From the FFCRA's emergency paid siclc leave and emergency FMLA provisions where an employee seele'. leave to care for their son or daughter whose school or place of care has been closed or whose child care provider is unavailable clue to CDWD-lEi-re'iated reasons. Important Note: If an employee has taken ieave under FMLA for any qualifying condition unrelated or related to during the last 1.2 months. the number of FMLA hours talcen previously will reduce the EFMLEA {Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act} hours available to an employee. in addition. the exclusions to the agency authorized emergency leave and paid leave provided under do not prohibit or interfere with other requests for leave under the for a qualifying condition. As we all con?nue to monitorr evaluate and respond to the challenges of the following information will serve as guidelinE for slaffing and leave usage for HHSC employees. Below are guidelines for facility and non-facility employees relating to agency authorized emergency ieave and FMLA leave under the FFERA. Hon-State Eug?rted Living Center and State Hospital {Non-Facility] Empl_oye-es Agency Autho?aed Emergency Leave: Retroactive to March 1., 2020, and authorized for the duration otthe pandemic, while the public health emergency is in place. up to 160 hours of emergency leave will be granted to employees who are: I But of ?'le oFFice due to illness or qualantine. I lGlut of ?le oFFice to care For a member oi the employee's household who is ill or quarantined. I Unable to teleworlc clue to caring For a son or daughter under the age of 15, ii the child's school or place of care is closed or the child care provider is unavailable to provide care due to a public health emergency. I Unable to teleworlc {whether it is not an option For their particular position or personal circumstances prevent teleworlc from being an effective option} due to FulE or partial closure of a i'acilitvfot?ce location at which the employee normaliv works. Employees. will not be required to use other paid leave beFore using this paid sick time. This siclc'. time is avaiia ble For immediate use with no minimum employment period requirement. FFCRA Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansim Act Under the FFCRA. non-facility empioyees are eligible Jr'or EPELA [paid er'nrergenc'l.I leave sick time] up to SD hours between April 1r 2020 and Dec. 31. 292D, in the JFollowing circumstances related to D- 1.9: I Issued quarantine or isolation orders. I Directed by a health care providerto self-quaxantine. I ICaring For someone in the first or second situation. I and seelcing diagnosis. I Caring for a son or daughter under the age of 1E5. if the child's school or place of care is closedr or the child care provider is unavailable due to a public health emergency. Emergency Famitv and Medical Leave Ecpansion Act amends the Family and Medical Leave Act and permits cerlain employees to talce up to 12 weeks oF expanded Fa mily and medical leave, in oi: which are paidr For speci?ed reasons related to Under the FFCHA, employees are required to provide documentation to support the reason For the requested leave. The documentation must include the employee's namer qualitying reason For requesting leave, statement that the empioyee is unable to worlc or teleworlc and the dateEs] For which leave is requested. Examples of supporting documenls may include: I A quarantine or isolation order and lie name of the health care provider who has advised selh quarantine. I Documentation From a health care provider advising self-quarantine. For school closures, the supporting documenls may include: I A notice that has been posted on a govemment. school or day care website or pubiished in a newspaper. I An email or letter from an employee or school official or child care provider. .ilyenc?yr Authorized Emergency Leave: Retroactive to March 1.. 202D, up to EU hours of agency authorized emergency ieave will be granted to facility employees who are: I Out of the office due to illness or quarantine. I lGlut of the office to care For a member of the employee's household who is iil or quarantined. I Bent home by facility management for a reason related to the first two situations. Employ-ea will not be required to use other paid leave before using this paid sick time. This sick time is avaiiable for immediate use with no minimum employment period requirement. FFCRA Paid Sick leave Act and the Enlargency Familyr and Medicai Leave Expansim Act (EFMLEAJ: Under the facility employees are eligible For {paid emergency leave sick time) up to SCI hours between April 1.. 2021} and Dec. 31. EDEEI. in the following circumsiances related to I Issued quarantine or isolation orders. I Directed by a heaith care provider to self-quarantine. I and seeking diagnosis. I Caring for a member oF the employee's household who is in the first or second situation. I Sent home by facility management for a reason related to the first three situations. Under the FFCRA, employees are required to provide documentation to support the reason For the requested leave. The documentation must include the employee's namer qualifying reason For requesting leave. statement that the employee is unable to work or telework and the datelis) for which leave is requested. Examples of supporting documents may include: I A quarantine or isolation order and the name oi the heaith care provider who has advised selF- quarantine. I Documentation irom a health care provider advising self-quarantine. Prior to returning to work after an absence related to a CENT D- lE-related situation involving illness of an employee or a household member, employees must submit a compieted Documentation For Certain Reiateo' Absence and Return to til-?orig to their supervisor. [also attached} was created to help HH SC determine to return to work. The supervisor wili contact Human Resources {Employee Relations] which will coordinate with the CrFiice oi Chief Counsel regarding the employee's return to the workplace. Required ?mes?eet Entries and Time Reporting Codes: Employees authorized as prescribed above to use 1} emergency Seave or 2] paid emergency sick leave must use the Fotlowing time reporting and override reason codes on their timEheet in Authorited Entergency Leave Use Time Reporting Code and Override Reason lCode CIQEL [For author'Eed emergency leave speciFic to CU'IJ'ID-lEI-related circumstances). Authorited Paid Sick Leave Use Time Reporting Code and Dverride Reason Code PEELT [For authorized paid emergency siclu: ieave taken in accordance with the I_mportant Note Jrevious guidance Jr'or recording hours worked remains the samer and employees who are directly responding to the COMB-19 pandemic must continue to use the CNerride Ree-son lCode when recording hours worked using 'I'r-me Reporting Codes REGDS or REGHR as appropriate. For paid or unpaid leave timesheet entria that may have been previously recorded by employees For absences related to BEND-19 for the period covering March :lr EDEG, through today. contact your assigned emolovee relations soec'alis: Jr'or guidance. For questions regarding payrol! or corrections and changes to time sheet entries previously made for absences related to contact HHS-C T~me Leborand Leave.