Home / 2022 / February / New Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL22) for COVID-19 relief available to all employees in 2022

New Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL22) for COVID-19 relief available to all employees in 2022

February 24, 2022

This communication is to inform you of a recent update on the University of California’s (University) COVID-19 Related Leaves for policy-covered and represented academic and staff employees.

Effective February 19, 2022 through September 30, 2022, the University is providing up to 80 hours of 2022 Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL22) for full-time employees and the two-week equivalent for part-time employees.

EPSL22 is available to employees who are unable to work or telework due to COVID-19 for one or more of the following reasons:

  1. Reason 1: The employee is subject to a quarantine or isolation period related to COVID-19 as defined by an order or guidance of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), or a local public health officer with jurisdiction over the workplace.

  2. Reason 2: The employee has been advised by a health care provider to isolate or self-quarantine due to COVID-19.

  3. Reason 3: (a) The employee is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and is seeking a medical diagnosis; (b) The employee has been exposed to COVID-19 and is seeking or awaiting the results of a diagnostic test for, or a medical diagnosis of, COVID-19; (c) The University has requested that the employee obtain a diagnostic test for, or a medical diagnosis of, COVID-19, and the employee is seeking or awaiting those results; (d) The employee is attending an appointment for themselves or a family member to receive a vaccine or vaccine booster for protection against COVID-19; or (e) The employee is experiencing symptoms, or caring for a family member experiencing symptoms, related to a COVID-19 vaccine or vaccine booster.

  4. Reason 4: The employee is caring for a family member who is either subject to a quarantine or isolation period related to COVID-19 (as defined by an order or guidance of the CDPH, the CDC, or a local public health officer with jurisdiction over the workplace) or who has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine or isolate due to COVID-19.

  5. Reason 5: The employee is caring for a child whose school/place of care or child care provider is closed or otherwise unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19.

  6. Reason 6: The employee tests positive for COVID-19 or the employee is caring for a family member who tests positive for COVID-19.

Effective Dates

Employees are able to take EPSL22 beginning February 19, 2022 through September 30, 2022. Employees who did not exhaust their 2021 EPSL (EPSL21) entitlement are also eligible to use any remaining EPSL21 hours through September 30, 2022. Full-time employees may take up to eighty (80) hours of EPSL22, while those who are part-time may take up to the two-week equivalent. As before, employees will receive their regular rate of pay during EPSL22. If an employee has an EPSL22 leave in progress as of September 30, 2022, the employee will be allowed to finish taking the amount of EPSL22 that they are entitled to receive until their allotment is exhausted or their qualifying reason ends.

Additionally, if an employee took any leave without pay between January 1, 2022, and February 18, 2022, for one or more of the EPSL22 qualifying reasons, the employee may request that the University allow them to retroactively use EPSL22 by submitting a completed 2022 EPSL Request Form to their supervisor.

Requesting EPSL22 - Staff Employees

Staff employees may request EPSL22 by submitting a completed 2022 EPSL Request Form to their supervisor. Supervisors should approve the form and immediately route it to covid-epsl-group@ucsc.edu. Employees should follow regular and established call out procedures (if your unit has them) to notify individual supervisors about the EPSL22 request and state the criteria met for the leave.

Requesting EPSL22 - Academic Employees

Academic employees who are unable to continue with their assigned duties, either temporarily or for an extended time, should notify their direct supervisor of the need to take EPSL22. Academic employees should also immediately contact their Divisional Academic Personnel Coordinator. Appointees may be asked to complete the 2022 EPSL Request Form.

For more comprehensive information on COVID-19 Related Leaves for Policy-Covered and Represented Employees, please visit SHR’s COVID-19 FAQs website for staff employees and APO’s COVID-Related Leave for Academic Employees website for academic employees. Websites will be updated with these new leave entitlements accordingly.