COVID-19 UPDATE: CARES ACT AND DOL RELEASES ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

In the past few days, two significant legal developments occurred which will impact employers and small businesses.

On Friday, March 27, 2020 the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) was signed into law. The CARES Act provides more than $2 trillion in various relief measures, including expanded unemployment relief, funding options for businesses, direct assistance to certain industries and multiple provisions to assist taxpayers affected by COVID-19. We will summarize those provisions of the Act that may impact employers and small business operations.

Also, over the weekend, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) updated its Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Questions and Answers which answered key questions related to that Act (FFCRA). Topics in this updated guidance include the interplay between the regular FMLA and Emergency FMLA, and clarifying various definitions, public sector employee eligibility, and small business exception eligibility. Click here to visit the updated DOL guidance. Our summary of the FFCRA is also updated to reflect this DOL guidance, and is available here.

Please visit our Firm blog for the most recent updates regarding COVID-19, as well as an extensive list of resources that you might find helpful.

We expect the law related to COVID-19 will continue to evolve for the foreseeable future. Please contact any of the Baylor Evnen employment lawyers below, who can assist you in navigating the impact of this pandemic on your workforce.