Cal. LAB § 248.3 — California Code / Code lab / Division 2 / Part 1 / Chapter 1 / Article 1.5 / Section 248.3
Section 248.3
Status: in_force

(a) As used in this section:

(1) “COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave” means supplemental paid sick leave provided pursuant to this section.

(2) “Provider” or “providers” means a provider of in-home supportive services under Section 14132.95, 14132.952, or 14132.956 of, or Article 7 (commencing with Section 12300) of Chapter 3 of Part 3 of Division 9 of, the Welfare and Institutions Code, or waiver personal care services pursuant to Section 14132.97 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(3) “Work” or “worked” means providing authorized in-home supportive services under Section 14132.95, 14132.952, or 14132.956 of, or Article 7 (commencing with Section 12300) of Chapter 3 of Part 3 of Division 9 of, the Welfare and Institutions Code, or waiver personal care services pursuant to Section 14132.97 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, to an eligible recipient.

(b) A provider shall be entitled to COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave as follows:

(1) COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave shall be available to a provider if that provider is unable to work due to any of the following reasons:

(A) The provider is subject to a quarantine or isolation period related to COVID-19 as defined by an order or guidelines of the State Department of Public Health, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or a local health officer who has jurisdiction over the workplace. If the provider is subject to more than one of the foregoing, the provider shall be permitted to use COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave for the minimum quarantine or isolation period under the order or guidelines that provides for the longest minimum period.

(B) The provider has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID-19.

(C) The provider is attending an appointment to receive a vaccine for protection against contracting COVID-19.

(D) The provider is experiencing symptoms related to a COVID-19 vaccine that prevents the provider from being able to work.

(E) The provider is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and seeking a medical diagnosis.

(F) The provider is caring for a family member, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 245.5, who is subject to an order or guidelines described in subparagraph (A) or who has been advised to self-quarantine, as described in subparagraph (B).

(G) The provider is caring for a child, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 245.5, whose school or place of care is closed or otherwise unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19 on the premises.

(2) A provider shall be entitled to the following number of hours of COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave:

(A) A provider is entitled to 80 hours of COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave if the provider worked or was scheduled to work, on average, at least 40 hours per week in the two weeks preceding the date the provider took COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave.

(B) A provider who does not satisfy the criteria in subparagraph (A) is entitled to an amount of COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave as follows, up to a maximum of 80 hours of COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave:

(i) If the provider has a regular weekly schedule, the total number of hours the provider is normally scheduled to work over two weeks.

(ii) If the provider works a variable number of hours, 14 times the average number of hours the provider worked each day for the employer in the six months preceding the date the provider took COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave. If the provider has worked over a period of fewer than six months but more than 14 days, this calculation shall instead be made over the entire period the provider has worked.

(iii) If the provider works a variable number of hours and has worked over a period of 14 days or fewer, the total number of hours the provider has worked.

(C) The total number of hours of COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave to which a provider is entitled pursuant to subparagraph (A) or (B) shall be determined on the first day that the provider uses COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave under this section and shall be in addition to any paid sick leave that may be available to the provider under Section 246.

(D) A provider may determine how many hours of COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave to use, up to the total number of hours to which the provider is entitled pursuant to subparagraph (A) or (B). The COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave is available for immediate use by the provider, and the provider shall inform the recipient of the need to take sick leave and submit a sick leave claim to the county consistent with established procedures in that county.

(E) A provider is not entitled to more than the total number of hours of COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave to which the provider is entitled pursuant to subparagraph (A) or (B).

(3) Each hour of COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave shall be compensated at the regular rate of pay to which the provider would be entitled if the provider had been scheduled to work those hours pursuant to existing law or an applicable collective bargaining agreement.

(4) A provider shall not be required to use any other paid or unpaid leave before the provider uses COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave or in lieu of COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave.

(c) Notwithstanding subdivision (b), if a provider takes paid leave on or after April 1, 2021, that is payable for the reasons listed in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) that compensates the provider in an amount equal to or greater than the amount of compensation for COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave to which the provider is entitled as set forth under paragraph (3) of subdivision (b), the hours of the other paid benefit or leave may be counted towards the total number of hours of COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave to which the provider is entitled under paragraph (2) of subdivision (b). For purposes of the foregoing, the other supplemental benefit for leave taken that may be counted does not include paid sick leave to which the provider may be entitled to under Section 246, but may include paid leave provided by any federal or local law that becomes effective on or after April 1, 2021, if the paid leave is provided to the provider under that law for any of the same reasons set forth in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b).

(d) (1) The entitlement to COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave as set forth in this section shall take effect 10 days after the date of enactment of this section, at which time the entitlements shall apply retroactively to January 1, 2021.

(2) The entitlement to COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave as set forth in this section applies retroactively to January 1, 2021.

(A) For any such leave taken, if the provider was not compensated in an amount equal to or greater than the amount of compensation for COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave to which the provider is entitled as set forth under paragraph (3) of subdivision (b), then the provider shall be entitled to a retroactive payment that provides for such compensation.

(B) For any such retroactive payment, the number of hours of leave corresponding to the amount of the retroactive payment shall count towards the total number of hours of COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave that the provider is entitled to under paragraph (2) of subdivision (b).

(C) The COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave provided under this section is in addition to any unused sick leave benefits put in place by the federal Family First Coronavirus Response Act (Public Law 116-127), which a provider may still use until March 31, 2021.

(e) The entitlement to COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave as set forth in this section shall remain in effect through September 30, 2021, except that a provider taking COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave at the time of the expiration of this section shall be permitted to take the full amount of COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave to which the provider otherwise would have been entitled under this section.

(f) The provisions of this section are severable. If any provision of this section or its application is held invalid, that invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application.

(g) Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the State Department of Social Services and the State Department of Health Care Services may implement, interpret, or make specific this section by means of all-county letters or similar instructions, without taking any regulatory action.