Updated Pay and Benefit Information June 2, 2020 - June 15, 2020

Dear Sonoma County Employees,

We hope you and your families are well and safe during these continuing challenging times. As we begin a new pay period under a continuation of the health officer’s shelter-in-place order, we are providing you with updated information on the pay coding for this pay period.

Changes for the Pay Period starting June 2, 2020 – June 15, 2020

The majority of the pay coding will remain the same. Changes are noted below. Pay coding matrixes have been updated and are available on the Employee Resources page under Timecard Coding.

• Eligibility for Straight Time Overtime for Management and Represented Attorney Classifications

Employees in bargaining units represented by DSLEM, SCLEMA, SCPA, and SCDPDAA, and Salary Resolution unit 50 and 52, will no longer be eligible for management straight-time overtime.  All employees in those units should continue to record all hour worked above 80 hours per pay period related to the emergency to pay code MGMT Disaster OT – Track Only as described in this matrix document.  Hours worked that are not related to an emergency are not to be included the calculation of No MGMT Disaster OT – Track Only hours.

• Disaster Paid Not Worked (DPNW)

Disaster Paid Not Worked (DPNW) has been extended through June 15, 2020.

As the shelter-in-place continues and County departments evaluate expanding their services and operations, we expect a continued expansion of essential services which will further reduce the need for Disaster Paid Not Worked.  Departments are also preparing to re-open offices and bring more employees back into the workplace, with safety mitigation plans, when the shelter-in-place order is further modified. In addition, more Disaster Service Worker (DSW) assignments may be available.

If an employee is offered work (on-site, telework, or a DSW assignment) but is unavailable to perform the work, DPNW is not available, and the appropriate accrued leave should be used. In addition to regular County provided leaves, employees may be eligible and can apply for benefits under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

FFCRA Pay Options for Sonoma County Employees

County employees may have paid leave benefits available under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The benefits are administered by the County, as the employer, and employees apply by submitting the FFCRA Leave Request Form to their department payroll clerk or HR professional. The information below summarizes the qualifying situations for receiving paid leave benefits.
If you are unable to work due to:

• Loss of childcare due to school/daycare closure, or loss of caregiver;
• Quarantine for high-risk medical condition, COVID-19 exposure, travel, or other ordered reason;
• Your own COVID-19 illness, or care of a family member with COVID-19; or
• Caring for a family member who is quarantined;

FFCRA provides Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL) and Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLEA) benefits:

• For ALL of the reasons listed above, you are eligible to receive 80 hours of Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL), pro-rated for part-time. To receive EPSL hours: Complete the County’s FFCRA Leave Request Form and submit it to your department HR contact or Payroll Clerk.
• If you need to care for your child under the age of 18 because the child’s school/daycare is closed or you have lost caregiver services for your child, for reasons related to the COVID-19 public health emergency, you may be eligible for job-protected leave and pay benefits under the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLEA)*. You can use EFMLEA in a single continuous block of time-off, or scheduled on an intermittent basis with department approval. EFMLEA is up to 12 weeks of protected leave, with up to 10 weeks of paid time off (at 2/3 of your regular rate of pay) after an initial 2-week waiting period. In addition, you can supplement the County provided pay with your leave accruals to bring you to 100% of pay.
  To apply for EFMLEA benefits: Complete the County’s FFCRA Leave Request Form and submit it to your department HR contact or Payroll Clerk.

Additional resources, information and Frequently Asked Questions are located on the County’s website under the Employee Resources COVID resources page, or contact your department payroll clerk or human resources professional for more information.

Thank you to everyone for the work you continue to do on behalf of the County and our community.

Sincerely,
Christina Cramer
Human Resources Director

*EFMLEA hours are limited by any prior use of FMLA in the prior 12 months.