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COVID-19 Related Paid Leaves
What COVID-19 related paid leave options are available to eligible UC San Diego policy-covered and represented employees?
Where is the form to complete for 2022 EPSL?
Am I eligible for leave based on the COVID-related Cal/OSHA regulations?
If you are excluded from the workplace due to one of the following COVID-19 reasons:
- a positive COVID-19 test, or
- a COVID-19-related order to isolate issued by a local or state health official; or
- 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).
If I am eligible for Cal/OSHA leave, how do I document my time?
Cal/OSHA related leave should be documented in timekeeping as Administrative Leave (in Ecotime).
How does UC San Diego Campus define “block” in the job protection guidance document for use of Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL)?
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 »
What types of leave are student workers eligible for?
Student workers are eligible for CAL-OSHA Leave and 2022 EPSL if they otherwise meet the criteria outlined.
What types of leave can I donate to the Catastrophic Leave Program?
What are the timekeeping codes for COVID-19 related leaves?
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.
What is the status of the Flu Vaccine Mandate issued August 2020?
In May 2022, the Flu Vaccine Mandate was removed and is not required to access UC property. A Flu Vaccine Policy is expected in the future.
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Employee Symptom and Exposure Screening
Why are we screening employees for COVID-19 symptoms and exposure?
The safety of our staff, students and faculty is our top priority. With this in mind and in order to comply with the
San Diego County Order and
CDC guidelines, we have instituted mandatory self-screening for employees who have been directed to report to work in-person at UC San Diego worksites. Those who work remotely in the San Diego region (i.e. within commuting distance to UC San Diego Health sites for testing) are strongly encouraged to complete the screening in case testing is needed.
How is the screening process completed?
What is my role as a supervisor in symptom and exposure screening?
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 safety obligations 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.
Can I put an email address other than my supervisor's email address for the notifications?
Notifications should only be sent to the supervisor. Before directing notifications to anyone other than the supervisor, make sure to consult with your HR contact on possible privacy concerns.
Why doesn’t the screening include questions about recent travel?
The primary purpose of the screening is to comply with our responsibilities as an employer, as opposed to the larger responsibilities for the County and individuals.
How can I manage symptom and exposure screening notification emails?
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
- Create a new folder for “Pass” emails for your reports who passed the symptom and exposure screening.
- Set up an inbox rule for “Pass” emails
- Test your rule to verify
Create a new folder for “Pass” emails
- Log in to Outlook Web by logging in with your UC San Diego email credentials at https://outlook.office.com
- In the left-hand navigation column, right-click on “Folders” and then select “Create new folder”
-
- Name the new folder. For example, “Symptom Screening Passes”
Set up an inbox rule for “Pass” emails
- Log into Outlook Web by logging in with your UC San Diego email credentials at https://outlook.office.com
- Click the “gear” icon in the top-right, search for “rules”, and click on the link for “Inbox Rules”
-
- Click “Add new rule”
- Name the rule to help you identify it later. For example: Symptom Screening Passes
- Add these conditions:
- Message body includes: Should your symptoms change while at work please contact your supervisor immediately.
- Add these actions:
- Move to: <select the folder you created earlier>
- Make sure “stop processing more rules” is checked off.
- 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
- Send yourself an email with this in the body to test the inbox rule for PASS emails:
- Should your symptoms change while at work please contact your supervisor immediately.
- This email should filter directly into your new “Symptom Screening Passes” folder.
- Send yourself a second email with this in the body:
- A clinical advisor will be available at that number to discuss your symptoms and work with you on next steps for your care.
- This email should arrive directly into your Inbox.
What if an employee doesn’t have a thermometer?
If the employee does not have a thermometer to determine if they have a fever as defined in the screening, the employee should contact their supervisor and HR contact to assist in temperature screening.
What do I do if an employee comes to work without having completed the checklist?
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.
What if I witness an employee exhibiting a prohibited symptom at the worksite?
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.
What if I have underlying health conditions that qualify as one of the listed symptoms?
What if the employee fails the screening?
Who pays for me to take a COVID-19 test?
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.
How often should employees conduct the screening?
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.
In addition, if the employee has physically reported to a UC San Diego worksite, they MUST complete the daily symptom and exposure screening tool on each of the 3 days following the day they last reported to a worksite even if they are not planning to go to the worksite again. For those working remotely, daily symptom and exposure screening is strongly encouraged to assist in slowing the spread of COVID-19.If the CDC symptom list changes, will the symptom screening change?
Yes, we check the CDC website frequently for changes to keep the screening materials current.
Who is reviewing the answers to the self-screening checklist and making decisions on who is allowed to work?
Do HIPAA disclosure laws apply to the health info collected?
What happens once an employee submits the online symptom and exposure screening?
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.
What if an employee doesn’t have access to complete the symptom and exposure screening online?
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.
What do I do if an employee refuses to complete and/or submit the checklist?
If an employee refuses the lawful order requiring symptom and exposure screening prior to entering the work site, take the following steps:
- Determine the reason for the refusal.
- If the refusal is based on religious exemption or other protected reasons, consult with the HR contact and Employee Relations regarding appropriate pay status.
- If no reason is given, consult with your unit's HR contact and Employee Relations. Generally:
- Policy-covered employees will be placed on a leave of absence without pay.
- Represented employees will also be placed on a leave of absence without pay. (The unions have been noticed by Labor Relations.)
Who decides what constitutes a “protected reason” for not completing the symptom and exposure screening?
Your supervisor/work lead/check-in person will consult with your HR Contact and Human Resources to review and determine whether the stated reason constitutes a “protected reason” under the County Order or other laws.
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Manager/Supervisor Questions
My employee just informed me they tested positive for COVID-19, what do I do?
My employee is having trouble working from home due to equipment or internet issues. What do I do?
Do I need to create a telecommute agreement for my employee to work from home?
What is happening with New Employee Orientation?
New Employee Orientation is now being conducted via Zoom. Attendees who register will receive a link to the Zoom meeting.
Where can I get answers to questions about planning for my unit and changes to my work arrangement?
The HR Support Team is available 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.
Will the university be reimbursing internet expenses, providing additional computers, etc.?
Can I still work overtime?
Employees must have approval from their supervisor or manager before working overtime.
Is UC San Diego doing health screenings for employees or other guests prior to coming on campus?