2022 COVID-19 Supplemental Sick Leave

On Sept. 30, 2021, California’s Supplemental Paid Sick Leave (SPSL) expired. In February 2022, the Governor renewed this law and made it effective retroactively to Jan. 1, 2022. This law provides employees with a brand-new bank of up to 80 hours total of supplemental paid sick leave for COVID-related reasons, divided into two banks of up to 40 hours each. On Sept. 29, 2022 the Governor again extended the law to Dec. 31, 2022.

Employees may use SPSL’s first (up to) 40-hour bank if they are (or have been) unable to work or telework for any of the following reasons between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2022:

  1. the employee is under a COVID-19 quarantine or isolation period based on a governmental order or guidelines;
  2. the employee has been advised by a health care provider to isolate or quarantine due to COVID-19;
  3. the employee is attending an appointment for themselves or a family member* for a COVID-19 vaccine or booster**;
  4. the employee is experiencing COVID-19 vaccine side effects or is caring for a family member who is experiencing side effects that prevent the employee from being able to work or telework**;
  5. the employee is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and seeking a medical diagnosis;
  6. the employee is caring for a family member* who is subject to an order or guidelines described in bullet (1) above or who has been advised to self-quarantine, as described in bullet (2) above;
  7. the employee is caring for a child whose school or place of care is closed or otherwise unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19 on the premises.

* “Family member” means children, parents, spouses, registered domestic partners, grandparents, grandchildren, and siblings. ** For each vaccination or booster shot, the employee is limited to three days or 24 hours of SPSL unless the employee provides certification from a health care provider that the employee or family member is continuing to experience symptoms related to the vaccination or booster.

The second bank of up to 40-hour of SPSL can be accessed by an employee upon providing proof of a positive COVID-19 test for self or a family member.

If you will be missing time due to one of the reasons listed above, you may report it in your timesheet for your supervisor’s approval. Additionally, if you miss (or have missed) more than five (5) days due to one of the reasons listed above, please contact our Wellness and Leaves Administrator, Tim Frenchcampbell, for further guidance.

If you have missed time due to one of the above reasons for a pay period that has already been reported (since Jan. 1, 2022), please alert your supervisor that you will be resubmitting that time and follow these instructions to resubmit.

Full-time employees are entitled to up to 80 hours of supplemental paid sick leave. There is a prorated calculation for part-time employees based on expected weekly work hours/workload. Unless extended or modified, this law is set to expire Dec. 31, 2022, and it applies to all staff, faculty, and student employees that meet the described criteria.

Retaliation or discrimination against a covered employee requesting or using COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave is strictly prohibited.

For further details or if you have any questions, please review the FAQ and Timesheet Resubmission Instructions page.