Families First Coronavirus Response Act

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, on March 18th, 2020, President Trump passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, H.R. 6201 (Act). This Act:

• Provides paid sick leave and free COVID-19 testing.
• Expands food assistance and unemployment benefits.
• Requires employers to provide additional protections for healthcare workers.

In addition, the Act mandates that all Government entities and employers with less than 500 workers:

• Provide 80 hours of paid sick leave to all covered employees.
• Provide up to 10 weeks of paid family leave for employees (who have worked for the company for at least one month) affected by COVID-19.

Concerning taxes, this act also included a series of tax credits to employers and self-employed individuals to help cover lost income due to the COVID-19 outbreak. For more information, please visit https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus.

NEBRASKA UNEMPLOYMENT UPDATES

Governor Ricketts issued an executive order for an emergency unemployment insurance benefit relief related to the coronavirus (COVID-19).  

High level overview: 

• Changes will start March 22^nd.
• The state of Nebraska will suspend the one-week waiting period required to receive unemployment benefits.
• The state of Nebraska will waive the requirement that the claimant is actively looking for work.
• The state of Nebraska will not “charge” the employer’s unemployment account for the unemployment benefits paid.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

• Nebraska Workforce Development + frequently asked questions: https://www.dol.nebraska.gov/UIBenefits/Resources/FAQ
• Nebraska Workforce Development + Set up an employee user account: https://neworks.nebraska.gov/vosnet/loginintro.aspx (Go to Option 3 and create a User ID)
• Short-Time Compensation - https://dol.nebraska.gov/stc

Employers can monitor https://www.dol.nebraska.gov/PressRelease to determine if updates or written guidance has been added. Please contact us if you have any questions.