Extended Emergency Paid Sick Leave for COVID-19 relief available to UC employees for 2021-2022

Oct. 6, 2021: This article has been updated with an extension to the deadline for using Emergency Paid Sick Leave.

In recognition of the many challenges UC employees continue to face, President Michael V. Drake, M.D., has approved an extension to the time allowed to use Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL) — from Sept. 30, 2021, to June 30, 2022.

In recognition of the many challenges UC employees continue to face in connection with the disruptions and difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic, the University has decided to offer University employees, including exclusively represented employees, additional time to use any remaining hours from their 2021 allotment of Emergency Paid Sick Leave (2021 EPSL). The University’s 2021 EPSL expires on September 30, 2021, but eligible employees can use any remaining hours as Extended Emergency Paid Sick Leave (Extended EPSL).  Extended EPSL is available for use October 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022.

The University’s Extended EPSL is available to all employees hired on or before September 30, 2021, who did not exhaust their 2021 EPSL entitlement if they are unable to work or telework for the reasons below.

• Reason 1: The employee is subject to a federal, state, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID 19.
• Reason 2: The employee has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID-19.
• Reason 3:
  1. The employee is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and is seeking a medical diagnosis from a health care provider;
  2. The employee has been exposed to COVID-19 and is seeking or awaiting the results of a diagnostic test for, or a medical diagnosis of, COVID-19;
  3. The University has requested that the employee obtain a diagnostic test for, or a medical diagnosis of, COVID-19, and the employee is seeking or awaiting those results;
  4. The employee is obtaining immunization related to COVID-19; or
  5. The employee is recovering from an injury, disability, illness, or condition related to obtaining immunization related to COVID-19.
• Reason 4: The employee is caring for an individual who is either 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 due to concerns related to COVID-19.
• Reason 5: The employee is caring for their child whose school or place of care has closed (or whose child care provider is unavailable) for reasons related to COVID-19.

Under 2021 EPSL, full-time employees could take up to 80 hours of paid leave, while those who are part-time could take up to the two-week equivalent. Employees who have not used all of their hours under 2021 EPSL can use the remaining hours as Extended EPSL.  Employees will receive their regular rate of pay during Extended EPSL.

An employee may request Extended EPSL by speaking to their supervisor or by submitting a completed Extended EPSL Request Form to their supervisor.

If an employee has a block Extended EPSL leave in progress on June 30, 2022, the employee will be allowed to finish that block leave using any remaining entitlement.

For questions, please contact the leave administrator at your location.