Resources for Employees

Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Employee Paid Leave Rights
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA or Act) requires certain employers to provide employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19. The Department of Labor’s (Department) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) administers and enforces the new law’s paid leave requirements. These provisions will apply from the effective date through December 31, 2020.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) announced its first set of guidance for employees and employers on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) just before midnight on March Tuesday, March 24, 2020. For information about coverage, eligibility and more please click here.

• Employee Paid Leave Rights
• FAQ’s about FFCRA

Unemployment Information

• Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) - Illinois Unemployment Insurance Update:
  • An employee who is temporarily laid off because their place of work closed due to the coronavirus is eligible for benefits as long as he or she is willing and able to return to work as soon as the workplace is reopened. The seven day waiting period and the requirement that the applicant register with the state employment service have been waived.
  • An employee who quits their job because of concern about the coronavirus or wants to stay home to take care of a child whose school is closed is not eligible for unemployment coverage unless there is another legally valid reason for the departure.
  • An employee who is confined to their home because the employee or family member has COVID-19 or because of a government required quarantine is eligible for unemployment insurance but must register with the state employment service and actively seek work that could be performed from the home.
  • Unemployment benefits are available for workers impacted by COVID-19. Questions? Contact the First Stop Business Information Center at [email protected] or call at 1-800-252-2923.
  • IDES has scheduled nightly updates to help address the issues and will be offline from 8pm-10pm daily. We also recommend that individuals interested in applying try during off times as peak times for the Department are 10am-3pm daily. We are doing everything we can to help people get through, but do not have any special access. The best thing to do in the interim is to document the dates and times of your attempts so that if the delay has an impact on your benefits, we have a record we can use to help advocate for you.

Tax Extension

Jobs

• Illinois Restaurant Association: Job Posting