COVID-19 Guide for Retail & Essential Workers: US Employee Advice
This article is part of the COVID-19 Guide for Retail & Essential Workers. It was put together by the wonderful people over at the Retail Worker Stories LinkedIn community using information collected from various reputable sources. You can find links to the other sections of the guide below:
- How to Save Money
- Finding work During Lockdown
- What is an Essential Worker?
- Physical and Mental Health Advice
Please note: The information presented in this guide is intended to serve solely as a reference and is not advice from LinkedIn or Rob Knott for you to take any particular course of action in response to your unique situation.
US Unemployment benefits
Stimulus money
Funds from the $2 trillion stimulus package signed into law are starting to be disbursed by the federal government. Individuals making less than $99,000 and couples making under $198,000 will receive a check and wider availability of unemployment benefits for those who have been laid off. For more information please visit this dedicated LinkedIn feed.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)
According to the US Department of Labor, if you work for a company with fewer than 500 employees, you may be entitled to paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave provisions of the FFCRA.
Generally, employees of covered employers are entitled to:
- Two weeks (up to 80 hours) of paid sick leave at your regular rate of pay when you are unable to work because you are quarantined and/or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and seeking an official medical diagnosis.
- Two weeks (up to 80 hours) of paid sick leave at two-thirds your regular rate of pay because you are unable to work due to the need to care for a quarantined individual, or to care for a child (under 18 years of age) whose school or child care provider is closed or unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19.
- Up to an additional 10 weeks of paid expanded family and medical leave at two-thirds of your regular rate of pay when you have been employed for at least 30 calendar days and need to care for a child whose school or child care provider is closed or unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19.
These rules may be relaxed even further if you work for a company that has 50 employees or less. Please speak to your employer to confirm whether you are entitled to the protections offered by the FFCRA act.
Employer-provided benefits
Paid sick leave
You may be eligible for paid sick leave if you are covered by state or local paid sick leave laws or a company-offered paid sick leave benefits. This will cover you against COVID-19 illness, caring for a sick family member, or for "preventative care" when authorities recommend the quarantine of you or a family member. Just remember that this will depend on you having accrued paid sick leave that you have yet to use.
Paid vacation
This applies if you are eligible for company-offered paid vacation, personal, family, or undifferentiated leave. This is usually based on a specific arrangement with your employer and will depend on having unused vacation, family or PTO leave time available.
Disability insurance
This applies if you are covered by private or employer-sponsored disability insurance programs and unable to work due to medical quarantine or illness related to COVID-19. You can be reimbursed for wage losses, medical care, and other expenses incurred while quarantined or diagnosed with COVID-19 and unable to work.
It’s vital that you double-check your insurance coverage though, as the rules can vary for employees who are quarantined but not ill. Your benefits may include short-term disability (STD), long-term disability (LTD), hospital or medical care indemnity, critical illness, or similar coverage.
State-provided benefits
Unemployment insurance
You can claim partial wage replacement benefit payments if you lose your job or have your hours reduced through no fault of your own. This includes being unable to work as a result of quarantines, school closures, reduced hours, furloughs, or layoffs. The payments are usually a percentage of your lost income, up to a maximum weekly amount set by law.
This benefit only applies if you meet state eligibility requirements for unemployment insurance benefits. Typically, you must have earned sufficient wages during a 12-month "base period" to establish your eligibility.
Disability insurance benefits
At the time of writing, this only applies to employees who are unable to work due to medical quarantine or illness related to COVID-19 (certified by a medical professional) in California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, or Puerto Rico.
Essentially, this is a short-term benefit payment for eligible workers with full or partial loss of wages due to non-work-related illness or injury. Typically a percentage of lost income, up to the maximum weekly amount set by law is provided.
Workers compensation
If you are unable to work because you contracted COVID-19 at work, you may be entitled to a percentage of lost income, up to a maximum weekly amount set by law. You may also be entitled to receive medical treatment and additional payments for permanent disability related to COVID-19 exposure.
Help for students
How to pause your federal student loans
The U.S. Department of Education has agreed to waive student loan repayments for at least 60 days. This does not happen automatically though. You will need to call your loan provider to check whether your loan is eligible for the relief. If you are already more than 31 days late, your loan servicer will suspend your payments automatically. Your servicer will not charge interest during this time, and the waiver is not supposed to hurt your credit score.
Please be aware that this waiver does not automatically apply to private student loans. However, some big lenders such as Sallie Mae and Navient are matching the government's waiver. The best thing to do is to contact your provider and explain how your financial situation has changed as a result of COVID-19.
Help for homeowners and renters
Homeowners
If you own your home, you may be able to delay your mortgage repayments if the outbreak has left you short of money. This is thanks to The Federal Housing Finance Agency who have instructed mortgage providers to allow borrowers of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac to delay their mortgage payments by up to 12 months due to hardship caused by COVID-19.
Additionally, Federal housing officials have announced a nationwide eviction and foreclosure moratorium for borrowers of Fannie or Freddie mortgages or borrowers whose loans are backed by the Federal Housing Administration (F.H.A. loans). This also includes foreclosures that are already in progress. To find out if Fannie or Freddie own your mortgage, you can search your address on this federal government site.
There may also be help available to customers of other lenders thanks to a coalition of mortgage industry groups representing banks and finance companies. With mortgage payments suspended for at least three months – potentially up to 12 months – for homeowners whose loans are not owned by Fannie or Freddie. However, their efforts will require a federal backstop.
Renters
If you rent, the best option right now is to use the search-by-state function on Justshelter.org to connect you with local organisations that can provide advice for renters in distress.
The good news is that a temporary, nationwide eviction moratorium is in place for any renters of properties backed or owned by Fannie, Freddie or the F.H.A. This will last through the end of July and landlords can’t charge any fees or penalties for nonpayment of rent.
Help to pay the bills
Keeping Americans Connected Pledge
Some utility providers, such as AT&T, Comcast, Cox, RCN, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon are offering to stop cutting people off for nonpayment. This is part of the push to ensure that Americans do not lose their broadband or telephone connectivity as a result of these exceptional circumstances. You should reach out to your provider to check whether you are covered by this initiative.
Utility bills such as gas, water and electricity
Some water providers have suspended shut-offs for nonpayment and/or late payments. This is in response to members of Congress signing a letter calling for the federal government to work with local and state leaders to institute a national moratorium on water shut-offs and restore service for any disconnected households. You should check with your water provider to see if you are covered by these temporary measures.
In Washington state, the main Seattle area utilities are suspending cutoffs as well. In addition, the provider of electric and water service in Seattle is allowing people to self-certify their recent income reductions in order to qualify for at least half off their bills.
In California, Pacific Gas and Electric has stopped shutting off its services to consumers who have not paid. In New York, Con Edison also has temporarily suspended any electric and gas service shut-offs.
This information was correct at the time of writing, so as before, please reach out to your local utility providers to see where you stand with your bills. Remember, you may need to provide evidence of financial hardship as a result of COVID-19 to qualify for assistance.
Federal income tax
You have an extra three months to file your federal income taxes thanks to the federal government moving the tax filing deadline to July 15. So you won’t be expected to file your return or make any payments until then. Don’t forget about your state income taxes: The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants is tracking state changes on its website. If you are owed a refund, you will still receive it as normal when you file your tax return.
Social security
Most social security offices will be closed for routine requests. So if you require assistance you should call their toll-free phone line, (800) 772-1213 or visit their website. You can still get in-person assistance for crucial services, such as the reinstatement of benefits and assistance with severe disabilities. Though, you will need to call the number above and book these meetings well in advance.
Childcare costs
You should check with your local health officials, school districts, child care licensing boards/bodies, childcare accreditation bodies, health consultants, and other community partners to decide how your child care needs should be handled during this crisis
Here are a number of resources that may help:
- CDC’s guidance for schools and child care programs
- CDC’s guide to caring for children while schools out
- NRC health promotion and protection guide
- CDC’s guide to talking with children about coronavirus
Ways you can help during the crisis
Efforts to donate time, skills and money are beginning to spring up across the country to help weather this crisis. You can find out more information using this dedicated feed on LinkedIn.
Visit Retail Worker Stories
This guide was put together by the Retail Worker Stories community on LinkedIn. Join for free to read and share COVID-19 stories, and get advice from over 40,000 fellow hourly workers!
Disclaimer
Please note: The information presented in this guide is intended to serve solely as a reference and is not advice from LinkedIn or Rob Knott for you to take any particular course of action in response to your unique situation.