As a reminder, effective March 29 through Sept. 30, 2021, the University provided up to 80 hours of 2021 Emergency Paid Sick Leave (2021 EPSL) for full-time employees and the two-week equivalent for part-time employees. The University later provided employees with additional time to use any remaining 2021 EPSL hours through Extended EPSL and then 2022 EPSL.
If you took an eligible leave between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, 2021, and you have not used all of your 2021 EPSL entitlement yet, you have until Dec. 6, 2022, to request retroactive use of 2021 EPSL.
Eligibility for retroactive use of 2021 EPSL
UC employees who did not exhaust their 2021 EPSL entitlement are eligible to retroactively use 2021 EPSL if they took an eligible leave between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, 2021, and one or more of the five qualifying reasons listed below applied to the leave.
An employee may request to retroactively use their 2021 EPSL entitlement orally or in writing by completing the Request Form for Retroactive Use of 2021 EPSL. The form also includes additional information regarding the retroactive use of 2021 EPSL. The signed form should be returned to the employee’s local HR office or Academic Personnel office. Employees must submit requests by Dec. 6, 2022.
If an employee took an eligible leave between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, 2021, for one or more of the qualifying reasons, the employee may request that the University allow them to retroactively use their 2021 EPSL entitlement for that leave as follows:
- Retroactive leave adjustments: If an employee used paid leave (e.g., vacation, sick, PTO) between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, 2021, for one or more of the qualifying reasons, the employee may request that the University allow them to retroactively use any 2021 EPSL entitlement for that leave and that the University credit their leave banks for the time previously debited.
- Retroactive payments: If an employee took leave between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, 2021, for one or more of the qualifying reasons but was not paid their regular rate of pay during that leave, the employee may request that the University provide them with a retroactive payment using any 2021 EPSL entitlement.
Qualifying reasons
- Reason 1 (Quarantine or isolation order): The employee was unable to work or telework at that time because the employee was subject to a federal, state, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19.
- Reason 2 (Self-quarantine): The employee was unable to work or telework at that time because the employee had been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID-19.
- Reason 3 (Testing, diagnosis, and/or immunization): The employee was unable to work or telework at that time because of any of the following:
- The employee was experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and was seeking a medical diagnosis from a health care provider.
- The employee had been exposed to COVID-19 and was seeking or awaiting the results of a diagnostic test for, or a medical diagnosis of, COVID-19.
- The University had requested that the employee obtain a diagnostic test for, or a medical diagnosis of, COVID-19, and the employee was seeking or awaiting those results.
- The employee was obtaining immunization related to COVID-19.
- The employee was recovering from an injury, disability, illness, or condition related to obtaining immunization related to COVID-19.
- Reason 4 (Caring for an individual): The employee was unable to work or telework at that time because they were caring for an individual who was either subject to a federal, state or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19 or who had been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID-19.
- Reason 5 (Closure of school/child care): The employee was unable to work or telework at that time because the employee was caring for their child whose school or place of care had closed (or whose child care provider was unavailable) for reasons related to COVID-19.
For questions, please contact the leave administrator at your location.