New COVID-Relief Plan Provides for Additional Leave

President-elect Joe Biden last week announced his coronavirus relief legislative package, the American Rescue Plan, which includes several provisions to assist federal employees.

Under his proposal, federal employees would receive additional paid sick and family and medical leave to: assist parents with caregiving responsibilities when a school or care center is closed; care for themselves or a dependent with COVID-19 symptoms; quarantine due to exposure; and to get the vaccine.

This includes 12 weeks of paid COVID-related leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, capped at $1,400 per week, which would be available to federal employees for the first time, and an extension of the 80 hours of COVID-related emergency paid sick leave that expired in December.

Under Biden's plan, the paid leave programs would be available until Sept. 30.

NTEU will provide additional updates on this proposal and continue to push Congress to include these and other provisions to support and protect federal employees in upcoming COVID-relief legislation.