On November 18, 2021, Mayor Bowser signed the COVID Vaccination Leave Emergency Amendment Act of 2021 into law, which contains two primary provisions.
First, it extends the existing requirement for employers to provide unpaid leave under DC FMLA for reasons related to COVID-19. This requirement has been in place since March 2020, was set to expire November 5, 2021, and was previously featured in Compliance Corner. It applies to employers of all sizes.
Employees are eligible for up to 16 weeks of unpaid leave in a 24-month period if they have worked for the employer for at least 30 days and experience one of the following qualifying reasons: the employee or a household member is under a government or health care provider’s order to quarantine, or the employee needs to care for a child whose school or daycare center is closed due to COVID-19. (Note: DC FMLA generally applies only to employers with 20 or more employees working in the district, with employees eligible only after 12 months and 1,000 hours of service.)
Secondly, the Emergency Amendment Act requires employers of all sizes to provide two hours of paid leave for employees receiving (or their child receiving) a COVID-19 vaccination and an additional eight hours of paid leave in the following 24-hour period for vaccination recovery. This requirement was effective November 18, 2021, and is set to expire February 16, 2022, unless extended.
Employers with employees working in the district should be aware of these requirements.
COVID Vaccination Leave Emergency Amendment Act of 2021 »
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