Did you know . . .  On March 10, Congress approved the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (signed into law by President Biden on March 11). The Act contains several items of interest for employers, including: An extension of the tax credits for voluntarily providing paid sick and family leave under the Families First…

Did you know . . . The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which requires emergency paid sick leave and expanded FMLA leave for employees’ COVID-related absences, is set to expire on December 31, 2020.  This means that covered employers will no longer be mandated to provide FFCRA leave to employees as of the start…

Vogel Law Firm Employment and Labor Law group chair Lisa Edison-Smith recently answered employer questions and outlined the basic provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. In her FFCRA Presentation: Part 1, Lisa outlined important FFCRA leave points of critical interest to employers. In the most recent, follow up session, Lisa provided an update…

On April 1, 2020, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) went into effect, and later the same day, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued the regulations that employers had been waiting for (published in the Federal Register on April 6, 2020). These are Vogel Law Firm’s Employment and Labor Practice Group’s “Top 10…

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued highly awaited interim regulations for the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) today, April 1.  The regulations provide much needed guidance on the notice employees must provide to their employers of the need to take leave and required documentation to support requests for paid sick leave and emergency…

Notice 2020-21, recently released by the IRS, provides that tax credits for qualified sick leave wages and extended family leave wages required to be paid by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“Act”) will apply to wages paid for the period beginning on April 1, 2020, and ending on December 31, 2020. There has been…

Over the weekend, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued its third installment of FAQs regarding the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”). The FAQs now provide answers to fifty-nine questions related to the FFCRA’s paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave provisions. Within these answers, the DOL has provided interpretations that are largely…

The IRS recently released IR-2020-57, which provides additional insights in regards to how Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) tax credits will be made available to employers.     Generally, employers are required to withhold from their employees’ paychecks federal income taxes and the employees’ share of Social Security and Medicare taxes.  These withheld amounts are then…

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) is now effective April 1 instead of April 2, as previously assumed. The U.S. Department of Labor issued new guidance for employers, employees, and FAQs on Tuesday. Continue to monitor our Facebook page and website as we break down the DOL’s interpretation for employers. For right now, one…

On March 19, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”).  Among other things, this law created new paid leave requirements:  (1) Emergency Paid Sick Leave and (2) Public Health Emergency Leave.  Below you will find answers to frequently asked questions from employers regarding this new law. What are the…