January 5, 2021
Families First Coronavirus Response Act update
Submitted by Human Capital Services
Last spring, K-State began providing additional paid leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, or FFCRA. Over the past nine months, many employees were able to use this COVID-19-related leave and preserve their vacation or sick leave balances.
The FFCRA expired on Dec. 31, 2020, and Congress did not extend or reauthorize the act.
While vaccines bring optimism for a light at the end of the tunnel, some employees will likely still need time away from work to deal with pandemic-related challenges over the next several months. Although FFCRA leave is no longer available, eligible employees are encouraged to use their K-State accrued leave. Any questions regarding the use of leave may be directed to your department HCS liaison.
By Kansas statute, Regent institutions are generally not subject to state of Kansas leave regulations, including temporary policies issued by the governor’s office, and COVID-19 leave provisions not extended by Congress would need to be approved by the Board of Regents in order to be adopted or continued.
University leadership appreciates your efforts to manage both the personal and work challenges during this pandemic, and we continue to ask supervisors and unit leaders to be as flexible as possible when employees need time away from work.