COVID-19: Frequently Asked Questions

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• 2022 Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL)

UC 2022 Emergency Paid Sick Leave Notice and Request Form (PDF) (the form begins on page 4 of the PDF)

If you are excluded from the workplace due to one of the following COVID-19 reasons:

1. a positive COVID-19 test, or
2. a COVID-19-related order to isolate issued by a local or state health official; or
3. a COVID-19 exposure as determined by a public health or medical health professional,

AND

A) You are otherwise able and available to work,

AND

B) There is not remote work available for you,

THEN:

You are eligible for UC-provided paid leave after you have used all of the following: University Expanded Paid Administrative Leave (UC-PAL), Chancellor Supplemental Leave (if applicable), and Chancellor Testing Leave (if applicable).

As of May 4, 2020, block is defined as one work day based on normally scheduled work hours for that day. Prior to May 4, 2020, there was a requirement to use the full two-week allotment at one time.

View the job protection guidance document »

Ecotime

• UC Expanded Paid Administrative Leave
• FFCRA Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL)
• FFCRA Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL) - Family

Kronos

• UC Expanded Paid Administrative Leave: Admin Leave - Excused
• FFCRA Emergency Paid Sick Leave Codes:
  • FFCRA-EPSL
  • FFCRA-EPSL – Salaried

MyTime: Administrative - A period of exemption from work granted to employee.

TAR: Select other hours code - A - Administrative Leave with Pay.

Employees must first complete the registration form. Registration is only required once.

After registering, employees can use the symptom and exposure screening form prior to each shift. 

Get more information about the symptom and exposure screening process, including step-by-step instructions »

Supervisors/work leads/check-in people are responsible for confirming that employees who are eligible to report to work in-person at UC San Diego worksites have completed the symptom and exposure screening protocol. We have a County and safety obligation to ensure employees are screened before reporting to work in-person.

If you are a supervisor and you have employees who are required to work on-site, you must provide directions to your employees about your preferred method for receiving the clearance email that is generated when an employee completes the screening process. For example, you might request that employees under your supervision forward the email to you.

If you have employees under your supervision who do not have access to the internet to complete the symptom and exposure screening process online prior to reporting to work, you must work with that employee to develop an alternate process. For example, you might request that these employees call you prior to their shift to verbally complete the symptom and exposure screening.

As of June 7, 2020, supervisors (as designated by the staff in the symptom and exposures screening registration form), will receive emails when their staff have been cleared or not cleared when filling out thedaily screening questionnaire. If supervisors wish to only receive emails in their inbox when their staff are not cleared, follow these instructions to create an inbox rule. 

3 Easy Steps

1. Create a new folder for “Pass” emails for your reports who passed the symptom and exposure screening.
2. Set up an inbox rule for “Pass” emails
3. Test your rule to verify

Create a new folder for “Pass” emails

1. Log in to Outlook Web by logging in with your UC San Diego email credentials at https://outlook.office.com
2. In the left-hand navigation column, right-click on “Folders” and then select “Create new folder”
   1.  
3. Name the new folder. For example, “Symptom Screening Passes”

Set up an inbox rule for “Pass” emails

1. Log into Outlook Web by logging in with your UC San Diego email credentials at https://outlook.office.com
2. Click the “gear” icon in the top-right, search for “rules”, and click on the link for “Inbox Rules”
   1.  
3. Click “Add new rule”
4. Name the rule to help you identify it later. For example: Symptom Screening Passes
5. Add these conditions:
   1. Message body includes: Should your symptoms change while at work please contact your supervisor immediately.
6. Add these actions:
   1. Move to: <select the folder you created earlier>
7. Make sure “stop processing more rules” is checked off.
8. Click on SAVE at the bottom to save the rule

Here’s how the screen should look after everything is configured:

Test your inbox rule to verify

Now that you have the inbox rule set up to filter “Pass” emails into a folder, you should test it out to ensure it is working properly by sending yourself two emails. These two emails include unique snippets of text from both the “PASS” and “NOT CLEARED” emails

1. Send yourself an email with this in the body to test the inbox rule for PASS emails:
   1. Should your symptoms change while at work please contact your supervisor immediately.
   2. This email should filter directly into your new “Symptom Screening Passes” folder.
2. Send yourself a second email with this in the body:
   1. A clinical advisor will be available at that number to discuss your symptoms and work with you on next steps for your care.
   2. This email should arrive directly into your Inbox.

Prior to allowing the employee to work in-person, the supervisor/work lead/check-in person should direct the employee to complete the screening using their mobile phone.

If that’s not possible, the supervisor/work lead/check-in person should conduct the symptom and exposure screening verbally (using this checklist in English or Spanish) in advance of allowing the employee to work in-person. In conducting the screening verbally, the employee should either state “no” to all of the symptoms or “yes” to one of the symptoms without requiring a designation of which symptom.

Supervisors/work leads/check-in persons should not ask the specific symptom for which the employee has a “yes” answer.

If you are a fellow employee, report this information to your supervisor.

If you are the supervisor, direct the employee to please re-take the symptom and exposure screening and send the employee home.

If the Center for Occupational & Environmental Medicine (COEM) recommends that you be tested for COVID-19 following a failed symptom and exposure screening, or if you are testing pursuant to a UC requirement, the university will cover the cost of testing done at UC San Diego Health locations only. A failed screening occurs if you indicate during the symptom screening process that you have experienced one or more of the listed COVID-19 symptoms in the past 14 days or if you indicate that you have been exposed. If you use your own provider outside of UC San Diego Health, you and/or your healthcare provider must pay for the related costs of testing.

All employees should conduct the screening daily and should notify their supervisor/work lead/check-in person accordingly. If the employee is reporting to campus or any other physical UC San Diego location for work, even for a few minutes, they are mandated by law to conduct the symptom and exposure screening and report if they are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms before they arrive.

Supervisors, work leads and check-in personnel are receiving the “no to all” or “yes to one or more” emails or phone calls. Employees are specifically NOT asked to identify which particular symptom they are experiencing.

Learn more about the privacy practices for UC San Diego's COVID-19 Employee Health Management program »

No. Generally, HIPPA does not apply to the health information collected by employers. In this particular case, since we are not asking for disclosure of specific symptoms, we are not gathering protected health information.

Learn more about the privacy practices for UC San Diego's COVID-19 Employee Health Managemenr program »

The employee will receive a cleared or not cleared email. If an employee has not cleared the symptom and exposure screening, the individual that the employee identified in the registration form as their supervisor, work lead, or check-in person will also receive an email.

In the current configuration as of June 30, 2020, UC San Diego Health employees who clear the symptom and exposure screening must affirmatively notify their supervisor, work lead or check-in person; Campus supervisors receive this notification automatically.

Employees without internet access should call the appropriate supervisor/work lead/check-in person to conduct the symptom and exposure screening prior to going to work-in person. The supervisor should share the current symptoms to screen for and allow the employee to state “no” to all of the symptoms or “yes” to one of the symptoms without requiring a designation of which symptom.

Supervisors should not ask the specific symptom for which the employee has a “yes” answer.

If an employee refuses the lawful order requiring symptom and exposure screening prior to entering the work site, take the following steps:

1. Determine the reason for the refusal.
2. If the refusal is based on religious exemption or other protected reasons, consult with the HR contact and Employee Relations regarding appropriate pay status.
3. If no reason is given, consult with your unit's HR contact and Employee Relations. Generally:
   1. Policy-covered employees will be placed on a leave of absence without pay.
   2. Represented employees will also be placed on a leave of absence without pay. (The unions have been noticed by Labor Relations.)

Managers and supervisors are encouraged to use maximum flexibility when working with employees to assess individual needs and ensure continuity of critical university functions. Creating voluntary sign-up sheets to work through scheduling issues may help outline where there are gaps for critical services in the coming weeks. Where there are service gaps that cannot be filled through self-selection, rotating shifts can be assigned through reverse seniority.

For assistance with represented employees, contact Employee Relations.

Between June 1 and September 1, employees will gradually be invited to return to campus for on-site work. The Return to Campus Support Desk has been established to address any questions and concerns campus staff employees may have about returning to campus.

The Support Desk is available now with service Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Contact the desk by phone at 858-246-3570 or by email at hr@ucsd.edu. 

Types of Employees (Essential vs Non-Essential)

1. Essential employees who are required in-person to continue the critical operations of the University
2. Essential employees who are able to conduct their essential services work remotely
3. Non-essential employees who are able to conduct their work remotely
4. Non-essential employees whose work cannot be conducted remotely, and whose work does not maintain the critical operations of the University. Note: this may include employees who, after management has determined the number of employees needed from category 1, do not meet category 3.

Work with your supervisor to determine if any equipment is available to take home temporarily to complete your work. If no equipment is available and you need a computer to work from home and do not have access to equipment, you are eligible for administrative leave with pay under the executive order.

Learn more about Home Office Support for Extended Remote Work »

At this time, the university will not be reimbursing for internet.

Please see the above question regarding equipment limitations for at-home work. Learn more about Home Office Support for Extended Remote Work »

Yes. In accordance with the current San Diego County Health Order, all UC San Diego employees reporting to campus or any physical UC San Diego location for work must conduct a self-screening for COVID-19 symptoms and report any symptoms. Employees who are working remotely do not need to complete the symptom screening process. 

Learn more about symptom screening and access the symptom screening tool »

As UC San Diego continues to manage operations in these extraordinary times, in response to the significant anticipated financial impact on the university and constraints imposed by the current health pandemic, we are implementing strict position control, under the direction of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Effective March 30, 2020, all campus staff hiring is paused, regardless of whether the search was already underway or only being contemplated. If there is a staff hire that a unit leader believes to be absolutely essential to the core function of their unit, a request for an exception to the staff hiring pause must be made to the EVC/VC in charge and approved by the CFO.

While every request is unique and will be treated as such, before making a request, you should consider the following questions:

• Is the position mission critical? This means, will not filling the position directly undermine our ability to carry the university mission, or can we live without it for some time?
• Is there any way to reallocate the work through an internal restructuring, even temporarily?
• If we really need the position filled now, is there any chance we could temporarily find available talent in another area where the workload is down?

All candidates should be interviewed via Zoom (until further notice). 

If your candidate does not have access to a computer, you can conduct the interview by phone.