Apr 01, 2020
LISI has compiled resources and comprehensive guidance for employers and employees as they struggle with challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Feel free to share this information with your clients.
COVID-19 Assistance for Employers
Webinars
Get a recording, slides, and Employer FAQs from the March 31, 2020 ThinkHR Webinar. It addresses employer questions about CDC guidelines, illness, and quarantines.
Get a recording and slides from the March 19, 2020, ThinkHR Webinar. It addresses employer questions about employment, work from home policies, and an explanation of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
Immediate Steps for Employers
California’s non-profit Economic Development Collaborative (EDC) offers helpful information in their COVID-19 Business Resource Guide. EDC recommends the following for employers and the self- employed:
- Contact your insurance provider to find out if you have interruption insurance to supplement a loss of income or sales
- Track business losses. Programs designed to assist cash flow needs and access to capital depend on accurate counts of economic injury or production loss
- Get no-cost business consulting from EDC. Call (805) 409-9159 to request an appointment
Avoid Layoffs with the EDD Work Sharing Program
Employers that are experiencing a business slowdown as a result of the Coronavirus can apply for the Unemployment Insurance Work Sharing Program through California’s Employment Development Department.
Employers can retain workers by reducing their hours and wages no more than 60 percent and partially offsetting the wage loss with Unemployment Insurance benefits.
Get an Extension on Filing Payroll Taxes
Employers that are directly affected by COVID-19 may request up to a 60-day extension from the EDD to file their state payroll reports and/or deposit payroll taxes without penalty or interest. A written extension request must be received within 60 days from the original delinquent date of the payment or return.
Get an Extension on Filing Personal and Business Taxes
The Franchise Tax Board is postponing until July 15, 2020 filing and payment deadlines for all individual and business entities for 2019 tax returns, 2019 tax return payments, 2020 1st and 2nd quarter estimate payments, 2020 LLC taxes and fees, and 2020 non-wage withholding payments.
Get a Low-Interest Loan
The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan program provides working capital loans of up to $2 million to help small businesses overcome a temporary loss of revenue.
Apply Online
Guidance & Loan Resources
Fact Sheet and Q&A
Program Presentation
COVID-19 Assistance for Employees
The California Labor & Workforce Development Agency has created the chart below to help employers understand what benefits their employees may be entitled to. This information does not yet reflect options now available as a result of the new Family First Coronavirus Response Act.
The Coronavirus Response Act will expand unemployment benefits and guarantee an additional $600 a week to a person’s regular unemployment benefits through July 31, 2020.
| PROGRAM | WHY | WHAT | BENEFITS | MORE INFO | HOW TO FILE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disability Insurance | If you're unable to work due to medical quarantine or illness related to COVID-19 (certified by a medical professional) | Short-term benefit payments to eligible workers who have a full or partial loss of wages due to a non-work-related illness, injury, or pregnancy. | Approximately 60 percent to 70 percent of wages (depending on income); $50 to $1,300 a week for up to 52 weeks. | Eligibility | File a claim |
| Paid Family Leave | If you're unable to work because you are caring for an ill or quarantined family member with COVID-19 (certified by a medical professional) | Up to six weeks of benefit payments to eligible workers who have a full or partial loss of wages because they need time off work to care for a seriously ill family member. | Approximately 60 percent to 70 percent of wages (depending on income); $50 to $1,300 a week for up to 6 weeks. | Eligibility | File a claim |
| Unemployment Insurance | If you have lost your job or have had your hours reduced for reasons related to COVID-19 | Partial wage replacement benefit payments to workers who lose their job or have their hours reduced, through no fault of their own. | $40 to $450 per week for up to 26 weeks. Governor’s Emergency Proclamations waive the non-payable one-week waiting period for regular UI benefit payments to eligible individuals affected by current disasters. This means individuals can be paid benefits for the first week they are unemployed due to the disaster. |
||
| Paid Sick Leave | If you or a family member are sick or for preventative care when civil authorities recommend quarantine | The leave you have accumulated or your employer has provided to you under the Paid Sick Leave law. | Paid to you at your regular rate of pay or an average based on the past 90 days. | Eligibility | File a claim |
| Workers' Compensation | If you are unable to do your usual job because you were exposed to and contracted COVID-19 during the regular course of your work, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. | Benefits include temporary disability (TD) payments, which begin when your doctor says you can't do your usual work for more than three days or you are hospitalized overnight. You may be entitled to TD for up to 104 weeks. TD stops when either you return to work, your doctor releases you for work, or your doctor says your illness has improved as much as it's going to. | TD generally pays two-thirds of the gross wages you lose while you are recovering from a work-related illness or injury, up to a maximum weekly amount set by law. In addition, eligible employees are entitled to medical treatment and additional payments if a doctor determines you suffered a permanent disability because of the illness. | Eligibility | File a claim |
For continual carrier updates and guidance, visit the LISI Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources page.
