COVID Paid Sick Leave was once again extended in California! The benefits which had ended in September of 2021 have once again been reinstated due to the spike in the new COVID variant omicron.
Mike Duffy, from ABC 10, invited our team to speak about the importance of this extension and to answer questions for the community about the supplemental paid sick leave. (Watch here.) Since the pandemic began, we have been keeping our communities up to date on state programs that exist to help keep them safe and financially protected while this virus continues to spread.
As CWR Program Administrator Erica Zermeno reported, the new COVID paid sick leave law provides 40 hours for caring for yourself or a family member who has or is subject to a quarantine for COVID or to recover from a vaccine and an additional 40 hours to care for a family member who tests positive for COVID. The law is retroactive to January 1, 2022, but that still leaves a gap in COVID sick pay for the last few months of 2021.
The coronavirus pandemic continues to have an impact on our communities. It is of the utmost importance that workers continue to take time off of work to recover. We want our community members to know that they do not have to prioritize their family’s income over their health. This benefit exists for them to take care of themself and their family without sacrificing their financial well-being.
If you are a worker and you have questions about what the supplemental paid sick leave does for you, if you are unsure about whether you qualify for the supplemental paid sick leave, or your employer told you that you did not qualify, give us a call and our staff will gladly provide you with more information.