COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave

First, we want to thank you for working diligently and collaboratively to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace and for your continued commitment to health and safety while providing core services to our diverse communities.

On March 19, 2021, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill 95 ("SB 95") into law, titled COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave ("SPSL"). SB 95 takes effect on March 29, 2021 and provides up to 80-hours¹ of SPSL to employees impacted by COVID-19. This newly enacted SPSL benefit applies retroactively to January 1, 2021 and sunsets on September 30, 2021.

The new SPSL applies to all full-time and part-time employees who are unable to work or telework due to the following COVID-19 related reasons:

• Employee is subject to federal, state, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19.
• Employee is advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine or isolate due to concerns related to COVID-19.
• Employee is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and seeking a medical diagnosis.
• Employee is caring for a family member subject to a quarantine or isolation order or advised to self-quarantine by a health care provider due to concerns related to COVID-19.
• Employee is caring for a child² of such employee if the school or place of care is closed, or whose school or place of care is unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19 on the premises.
• Employee is attending an appointment to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.
• Employee is experiencing symptoms related to a COVID-19 vaccination that prevents the employee from performing their work.

SPSL is capped at 80 hours for "full-time" employees¹. “Part-time” employees are eligible for the total number of hours they are regularly scheduled to work over a 2-week period, up to 80 hours. For all eligible employees, the SPSL is capped at $511 per day, $5,110 in aggregate.

SPSL is in addition to any paid sick leave that may be available, and employees are not required to exhaust other paid or unpaid leave prior to using SPSL. However, employees who are unable to work or telework due to a COVID-19 workplace exposure will be required to exhaust their SPSL and other paid sick leave before being placed on COVID-19 paid administrative leave ("PAL"), if eligible for such PAL leave.

Your Agency/Department Human Resources staff and the Human Resource Services ("HRS") Disability Programs Division are available to provide further details about this benefit and to answer any questions you may have. We are attaching a Certification Form and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), as well as the Department of Industrial Relations 2021 COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Poster related to this benefit as an added resource for employees. We hope this benefit will offer our employees some additional financial relief during this health emergency and provide time for you to obtain your COVID-19 vaccination.

Please know that we value our employees and are committed to your health and safety during this unprecedented health crisis. Your extraordinary service throughout this pandemic has been truly remarkable, and we hope this new benefit will further assist you in maintaining a safe and healthy work-life balance.

¹ SB 95 contains an exception to the 80-hour cap for active-duty firefighters.
² For purposes of SB 95, a child means a biological, adopted, or foster child, stepchild, legal ward, or a child to whom the employee stands in loco parentis. This definition of a child is applicable regardless of age or dependency status.