Sick Time Off

The paid sick leave requirements will take effect – and covered employees will be entitled to begin accruing leave time – on September 30, 2020.  However, employees may be restricted from utilizing accrued sick leave until January 1, 2021.

Employees must accrue sick leave at a rate of at least 1 hour for every 30 hours worked (which is also the accrual rate set forth under the New York City Earned Safe and Sick Time Act and the Westchester County Earned Sick Leave Law).  Alternatively, employers may fulfill their obligation under the law by providing the full amount of sick leave in a lump sum at the beginning of each year.

Unused sick leave carries over to the following year, though employers with fewer than 100 employees may limit the use of sick leave to 40 hours per year and employers with 100 or more employees may limit the use of sick leave to 56 hours per year.

Covered Reasons for Taking Leave

Covered reasons for taking sick leave under the law include:

• the need for diagnosis, care, or treatment of a mental or physical illness or preventative care of the employee or the employee’s family member; and
• certain needs related to the employee or the employee’s family member being the victim of domestic violence, sexual offenses, stalking, or human trafficking, including obtaining services from a domestic violence shelter, rape crisis center, or other services program; participating in safety planning; temporarily or permanently relocating; meeting with an attorney or participating in legal proceedings; enrolling children in a new school; or taking other actions to increase the safety of the  employee or employee’s family members

For purposes of this leave, a “family member” includes an employee’s child (including foster child, legal ward, or equivalent legal relationship), spouse, domestic partner, parent (including a step- or foster parent, legal guardian, or equivalent legal relationship), sibling, grandchild, grandparent, and the child or parent of an employee’s spouse or domestic partner.

Use of Sick Leave

The law does provide certain restrictions on the use of sick leave.  Specifically:

• Employers may set a reasonable minimum daily increment for the use of sick leave of no greater than four (4) hours; and
• Unused sick leave need not be paid out upon an employee’s separation or termination of employment.

Notably, upon return from sick leave, the law requires employees to be restored to the same position as held before the leave with the same pay and terms and conditions.