Emergency Sick Leave benefit extended through Sept. 2021

Aug. 6, 2021

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 allowed the university to extend the COVID-related benefits for Emergency Sick Leave and Expanded Family and Medical Leave through September 30, 2021. 

Emergency Sick Leave, code 565, covers situations when an employee cannot work or telework because:

  • they are subject to a federal, state, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19;
  • they have been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine related to COVID-19;
  • they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and are seeking a medical diagnosis;
  • they are caring for an individual subject to a federal, state, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19 or who has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine related to COVID-19;
  • they are caring for their child whose school or place of care is closed (or childcare provider is unavailable) due to COVID-19 related reasons; or
  • they have a substantially similar condition as specified by federal authorities;
  • they are obtaining immunization related to COVID–19 or recovering from any injury, disability, illness, or condition related to such immunization’ after ‘medical diagnosis’.

The Department of Labor requires that we collect documentation regarding the use of emergency sick leave and maintain it for four years. You must fill out the Emergency Sick Leave form to receive the leave.

To see how much Emergency Sick Leave you have available, log in to UAOnline and check your leave balances. Full time employees start with 80 hours. Part-time employees are pro-rated. New employees need to have their leave balance added manually. If you have any questions about your balance contact HR at ua-hr@alaska.edu.

Expanded Family and Medical Leave can be requested by employees with more than 30 days service. If approved to use, it provides up to 10 weeks of EFML hours, up to a total of $10,000, at 2/3 of the normal rate of pay. Employees must apply using this EFML request form. 

An updated FAQ on these leave options, as well as scenarios detailing the type of leave to use under different situations, are posted on the UA Coronavirus information website. If you have questions you may contact UA Human Resources at ua-hr@alaska.edu or call 907-450-8200.