U.S. Department of Labor Offers Webinars for Business Owners, Employers and Other Stakeholders on Coronavirus-Related Paid Sick Leave

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) in Indianapolis, Indiana, the IRS, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) are presenting a webinar on paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave requirements of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) for employers and business owners.

Employers, business owners and other stakeholders are encouraged to join “Navigating COVID-19: A Virtual Guide for the Employment Community” on July 7, 2020, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. EDT. The webinars will repeat at the same time on July 14, 21 and 28. There is no cost to attend but space is limited, and registration is required.

WHAT:          Webinar Navigating COVID-19: A Virtual Guide for Employment Community

WHEN:          July 7, 2020, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT

                        July 14, 2020, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT

                        July 21, 2020, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT

                        July 28, 2020, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT

WHERE:       Registration Link Above

The webinars will provide FFCRA information including details about paid sick leave for certain reasons related to the coronavirus and paid expanded family and medical leave for child care related to the coronavirus, and will focus on eligibility, requirements for providing paid leave and tax credits for covered business owners.

In addition to an overview of the FFCRA by representatives of the WHD’s District Office in Indianapolis, the IRS will provide information about tax credits under the Employee Retention Credit, Paid Sick Leave, and Expanded Family and Medical Leave for child care. These programs offer a credit on employment taxes to business owners that participate. Additionally, the SBA will provide a guide to help small business owners and entrepreneurs that includes counseling, capital and contracting resources to help businesses confidently start, grow, expand and recover. The EEOC will provide an overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act and its relevance to the coronavirus, and information on EEOC coronavirus resources. The DWD Work-One program will address unemployment insurance and monetary benefits for workers related to the coronavirus.

The FFCRA helps the U.S. combat and defeat the workplace effects of the coronavirus by giving tax credits to American businesses with fewer than 500 employees to reimburse the costs of providing employees with paid leave certain reasons related to the coronavirus. Please visit WHD’s “Quick Benefits Tips” for information about how much leave workers may qualify to use, and the wages employers must pay. The law enables employers to provide paid leave reimbursed by tax credits, while at the same time ensuring that workers are not forced to choose between their paychecks and the public health measures needed to combat the virus. 

WHD provides additional information on common issues employers and employees face when responding to the coronavirus and its effects on wages and hours worked under the Fair Labor Standards Act and on job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic

For more information about the laws enforced by WHD, call 866-4US-WAGE, or visit www.dol.gov/agencies/whd.

For further information about the coronavirus, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

WHD’s mission is to promote and achieve compliance with labor standards to protect and enhance the welfare of the nation’s workforce. WHD enforces federal minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping and child labor requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act. WHD also enforces the Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act, the Employee Polygraph Protection Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, wage garnishment provisions of the Consumer Credit Protection Act and a number of employment standards and worker protections as provided in several immigration related statutes. Additionally, WHD administers and enforces the prevailing wage requirements of the Davis Bacon Act and the Service Contract Act and other statutes applicable to federal contracts for construction and for the provision of goods and services.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.

# # #