COVID Supplemental Sick Leave Extension
The governor signed new legislation regarding COVID LEAVE which is effective 4/1/21 but retroactive to 1/1/2021. This law expires September 30, 2021. Similar to the FFCRA, but more expansive (new provisions are in bold), employers must provide the COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave if an employee is:
- subject to a COVID-19-related quarantine or isolation period per order or guideline of the State Department of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or local health officer who has jurisdiction over the workplace
- advised by a healthcare provider to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID-19
- attending an appointment to receive a COVID-19 vaccine
- experiencing symptoms related to a COVID-19 vaccine that prevent the employee from working or teleworking
- experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and seeking a medical diagnosis
- caring for a family member who is subject to a COVID-19-related quarantine/isolation order or who has been advised by a healthcare provider to self-quarantine
- caring for a child whose school or place of care is closed or otherwise unavailable due to reasons related to COVID-19 on the premises
The process for retroactive payments is as follows:
- If an employee previously took leave on or after January 1, 2021 that otherwise would have qualified under COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave and the employer did not provide paid leave (or did not compensate at the required level), then upon the oral or written request of the employee, the employer shall provide the covered employee with a retroactive payment that provides for such compensation. The Department has asked the request be made to your DHRO. We suggest you make the request in writing.
- For such retroactive payments, the number of hours of leave corresponding to the amount of the retroactive payment shall count towards the total number of hours of COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave that the employer is required to provide to the covered employee under the new mandate.
- If you had to use personal leave balances between 1/1/21 and 3/31/21 due to one of the above circumstances, you should submit a request to your DHRO for a retroactive adjustment to your leave banks. We suggest you make the request in writing.
The amount of paid sick is your regular rate of pay up to $511 per day/$5,110 total. You can supplement the salary with your sick leave and vacation pay up to 100% of your salary.
This supplemental sick leave is not mandatory or automatic. You must request the leave if you want to use it, and you must request retroactive pay or leave adjustments. Please contact the DSA at info@dsasd.org for assistance.
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Thank you to all the members who participated in the Padres Tickets Lottery Drawing. As the DSA receives more tickets, we will continue to draw more winners. You only need to submit your name once to be included in each random drawing. For more information on the ticket raffle process, please visit www.dsasd.org/padres.
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The Deputy Sheriffs’ Foundation Scholarship Program deadline has been extended to April 16. Find more information on the program and access application documents at https://www.dsasd.org/foundation/scholarships. Winners will be featured in an upcoming issue of the Silver Star. Good luck!
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Commemorative Badges have arrived to the DSA and are ready for pick-up. Those who pre-ordered badges received an email notification. Please contact the DSA at info@dsad.org with any questions.
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T-Mobile Offers Special DSA Member Pricing:
EXCLUSIVE T-MOBILE OFFERS & DISCOUNTS FOR FIRST RESPONDERS
First responder families get 50% off family lines with unlimited talk, text, and smartphone data on our network, and more! Please review the T-Mobile First Responder flyer. For more details on our First Responder Plan, visit T-Mobile Work Perks or call 855-570-9947.
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Join us for 7 Steps to Financial Fitness presented by California Coast Credit Union on Wednesday, April 28 at 12:00 p.m. Register for the webinar here.
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Stay current on all things DSA! Read the latest board meeting minutes here.
DSA Member meetings take place on the second Thursday of each month. The next meeting will take place Thursday, April 8 via Zoom. Members are encouraged to attend. Zoom meeting information can be found on the DSA events calendar at www.dsasd.org/calendar/.
Please contact the DSA at info@dsasd.org with any questions.