The Executive Office for Administration and Finance recently announced that the Massachusetts COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave (MA COVID EPSL) program would be ending on March 15, 2022. The MA COVID EPSL program began on May 28, 2021. Employers have until April 29, 2022,, to file their reimbursement applications for qualifying leave wages taken between May 28, 2021, and March 15, 2022. The instructions of how to apply for reimbursements can be found here.
The MA COVID EPSL program required employers whose employees work primarily in Massachusetts (“covered employers”) to provide up to 40 hours of paid sick leave for COVID-19 related reasons. Covered employers can apply to the state for reimbursement for up to $850 per employee, including the cost of health benefits. Originally, the program was scheduled to expire last September. However, it was extended until the exhaustion of $100 million in program funds or until April 1, 2022. (See the articles on the background of this subject in the February 3, 2022, and June 10, 2021, editions of Compliance Corner.)
Covered employers should notify their employees of the MA COVID EPSL program’s end date. Moreover, they should apply for reimbursement before April 29, 2022.
Announcement: The COVID-19 Temporary Emergency Paid Sick Leave Program is Ending March 15, 2022 »
An Act Extending COVID-19 MA Emergency Paid Sick Leave »
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