If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, or believe you may have been exposed, it is imperative that you speak with your primary care physician and/or your local County Department of Health -- it is the only way for you to receive COVID-19 related paid leave.  Local County Departments of Health contacts are below:

• Westchester:  https://health.westchestergov.com/
• Dutchess: https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/DBCH/2019-Novel-Coronavirus.htm
• Putnam:  https://www.putnamcountyny.com/health/
• Ulster:  https://ulstercountyny.gov/health/health-mental-health

It is important to contact your physician and/or Local County Health Department so that you can obtain the necessary documentation to enable your employer to pay you for missed time due to COVID-19 (as provided by Federal and State Law).  For more information about what qualifies for COVID-19 Paid Leave and how to obtain an order of quarantine, scroll down to "COVID-19 PAID LEAVE UPDATES - MEMBER INFORMATION" or read the Paid COVID Sick Leave Information and Quick Reference.

If you are eligible for Welfare Fund benefits, you can also seek medical advice via telemedicine for free by downloading the Empire BlueCross BlueShield application by searching in the Apple of Android app store and searching "Sydney Empire BlueCross BlueShield".  You will then be prompted to sign up with an online account using your Member ID number on your Medical ID Card and can seek telemedicine services through LiveHealthOnline through the Sydney Empire application.

If you are not eligible for Welfare Fund benefits and did not purchase COBRA Continuation Coverage when you terminated coverage, you may be able to enroll in an individual market plan through New York State Of Health.  You could also be eligible for other health plan programs.  To learn more, please visit https://nystateofhealth.ny.gov/

The information provided below is to provide a simple overview of the emergency coronavirus related paid leave benefits signed into law.  The summary is not intended to be complete.  For more guidance, please follow the links provided below to the government websites.  In order to take advantage of these benefits, please speak directly with your employer.

New York State COVID-19 Paid Leave (Under NYS Paid Family Leave Law):  https://paidfamilyleave.ny.gov/COVID19

• Provides paid leave if you or a dependent child is quarantined or isolated and cannot work;
• Provides paid leave if you must care for a family member with COVID-19;
• Paid leave amount and number of days is based on the size of the employer you work for;
• Paid leave amount is lower if your leave is to care for another family member
• Also contains unpaid leave provisions where entitlement to standard Paid Family Leave benefits would apply if paid leave for COVID-19 does not apply.

Obtaining an Order for Quarantine

NYS Paid Leave COVID-19 Fact Sheet

NYS Paid Leave FAQs: https://paidfamilyleave.ny.gov/new-york-paid-family-leave-covid-19-faqs

NYS Paid Leave Claim Form (Filled out by Member and Employer)

NYS DOL - Complaints Related to COVID-19 Regulations: https://labor.ny.gov/workerprotection/laborstandards/coronavirus-complaints.shtm

Federal Government - Families First Coronavirus Response Act - Expires March 31, 2021 (FFCRA):  https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic/ffcra-employee-paid-leave

FFCRA Employee Rights Poster

• Provides employees of employers of less than 500 employees emergency paid sick time of up to 80 hours if they are unable to work because of any of the following:

1.  Government quarantine order;
2.  Advised by health care professional to self-quarantine;
3.  Experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and seeking medical diagnosis;
4.  Experiencing a substantially similar condition;
5.  Caring for another person who is quarantined; OR
6.  Caring for a child whose school or daycare facilities are closed.

• Pay is based on regular rate up to $511.00 per day, or $200.00 per day if leave is for care of another individual.
• Tax credits are provided to employer to fully offset the costs of providing this paid sick time.
• Expansion of Family and Medical Leave Act for employees that have worked for employer at least 30 days, with pay up to 2/3 regular pay up to $200.00 per day.  Small employers of less than 50 employees may be exempt.

The information provided below is to provide a simple overview of the emergency coronavirus related paid leave benefits signed into law.  The summary is not intended to be complete.  For more guidance, please follow the links provided below to the government websites.

New York State COVID-19 Paid Leave (Under NYS Paid Family Leave Law):  https://paidfamilyleave.ny.gov/covid-19-paid-leave-guidance-employers

• Provides paid leave if you or a dependent child is quarantined or isolated and cannot work;
• Provides paid leave if you must care for a family member with COVID-19;
• Paid leave amount and number of days is based on the size of the employer you work for;
• Paid leave amount is lower if your leave is to care for another family member
• Also contains unpaid leave provisions where entitlement to standard Paid Family Leave benefits would apply if paid leave for COVID-19 does not apply.

NYS Paid Leave COVID-19 Fact Sheet

NYS COVID-19 Paid Leave Informational Letter

NYS COVID-19 Paid Leave Updated Guidance

Federal Government - Families First Coronavirus Response Act - Extended until March 31, 2021 (FFCRA):  https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic/ffcra-employer-paid-leave

FFCRA Employee Rights Poster

• Provides employees of employers of less than 500 employees emergency paid sick time of up to 80 hours if they are unable to work because of any of the following:

1.  Government quarantine order;
2.  Advised by health care professional to self-quarantine;
3.  Experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and seeking medical diagnosis;
4.  Experiencing a substantially similar condition;
5.  Caring for another person who is quarantined; OR
6.  Caring for a child whose school or daycare facilities are closed.

• Pay is based on regular rate up to $511.00 per day, or $200.00 per day if leave is for care of another individual.
• Tax credits are provided to employer to fully offset the costs of providing this paid sick time.
• Expansion of Family and Medical Leave Act for employees that have worked for employer at least 30 days, with pay up to 2/3 regular pay up to $200.00 per day.  Small employers of less than 50 employees may be exempt.

Annuity Fund - Changes Related to COVID-19

The Trustees have temporarily eased access to Annuity Fund accounts by relaxing the Fund's Termination Benefit rules.  The distributions provided by the CARES Act, signed into law March 27, 2020, ended on December 30, 2020.  

Termination Benefit Distributions -- CLICK HERE FOR FORM

Effective March 23, 2020 through March 31, 2022, an Annuity Fund participant may request up to a $50,000 (gross) distribution from their profit-sharing Annuity Fund account after 14 days of unemployment. 

Note that this change is a temporary easement on the existing "Termination Benefit" rule under the Annuity Fund, which requires unemployment for 90 days, where access to 100% of their Annuity Fund account becomes accessible.  This existing rule remains in effect, so that if a participant is unemployed for greater than 90 days, they will become eligible for a distribution of up to 100% of their Annuity Fund account.

The Trustees understand that notarized signatures and spousal consent may be difficult or impossible to obtain.  If situations present whereby this policy must be modified, such as a physically isolated participant or spouse, please call the Fund Office and we will accommodate such requests on a case by case basis.

Forms and accompanying spousal consent, if applicable, may be submitted via scan or a CLEAR photograph via e-mail directly to the appropriate Fund Office staff person.  You do not have to send via e-mail if you do not wish to, but this method of submission will speed up the process as the Fund Office will not wait for a hard copy to commence processing of distribution requests submitted via e-mail.  However, we ask that original hard copies of the form be placed in the mail to the Fund Office.

On June 1, 2021, we have fully opened up the offices and all of our staff are back in the office as usual.  We are happy to say that our services, while somewhat different during the height of the pandemic, ultimately did not cause any significant gaps in service or issues for our members.   

Below are the current modifications to services that we normally provide:

• All persons are required to comply with CDC guidance concerning face coverings and social distancing when entering the building and visiting with staff.  
• HRA checks will continue to be mailed until further notice but if you wish to pick up yoru check, please let Linda know by calling her at extension 121.