As the Commonwealth and the country continue to navigate the COVID-19 crisis, actions are being taken to try and mitigate the negative impact to our workforce. The links below provide information on leave policies and other benefits that may be useful during this time. If you have questions as you are exploring this information, please reach out to Human Resources for assistance.

Please check back frequently, as information is added and updated when it becomes available.

Public Health Emergency Leave (PHEL)

In accordance with DHRM policy 4.52, PHEL is activated only when there is a declared state of emergency. On July 9, DHRM confirmed that PHEL is no longer available for use related to symptoms or a positive diagnosis of COVID-19, as the state of emergency expired on June 30, 2021. Per DHRM:

  • Employees who are ineligible for remote work and who must quarantine due to known exposure to COVID-19 must use their available personal, annual, or compensatory leave to cover the absence.
  • Any employee who tests positive for the COVID-19 virus and becomes symptomatic or ill should use sick leave or other available personal leave and if necessary and eligible, file a short-term disability claim.

Individuals should use our online reporting forms to disclose any scenarios related to symptoms or diagnosis; situations will be navigated based on current guidance from the CDC and/or VDH.

As part of their efforts to encourage individuals to be vaccinated, DHRM is allowing up to 8 hours of PHEL to be used, at agency discretion, for vaccination appointments and/or time to recover from vaccine side effects, if necessary. This exception was effective as of July 9 and is not retroactive. If longer than 8 hours is needed for side effect recovery, an individual would be expected to use sick leave or other available personal leave, as noted above, for any hours above the first 8. Reach out to Human Resources to initiate a request for PHEL under these circumstances.   

Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (FFCRA)

The FFCRA as enacted on April 1, 2020 has expired. If new measures or programs are enacted for 2021, we will update this page accordingly.