On April 21, Cal/OSHA held a public hearing and re-adopted a modified version of the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) that originally went into effect on November 30, 2020. This third revision took effect on May 6, 2022 and will remain in place through December 31, 2022. The revised ETS can be found here: https://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/documents/Apr212022-COVID-19-Prevention-Emergency-txtbrdconsider-3rd-Readoption.pdf.
On March 9, 2022, the Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) announced that in-person hearings will resume starting March 21, 2022, at almost all of the DWC district offices. The only exceptions are Eureka, which is now a completely virtual office, and satellite locations Bishop, Marysville, Chico and Ukiah, which also will remain virtual.
On Tuesday a deal was struck between Gov. Newsom and California lawmakers to provide a new Supplemental Sick Leave similar to the one that expired on September 30. Those who follow my webinars may recall I predicted this would occur in delayed fashion after the 9/30 expiration (e.g. the March 2021 retroactive extension), but this was well beyond any predicted delay. Although not yet in final form, here are the components we expect:
SPECIAL REPORT
Effective Jan. 1, 2022, the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) amended its Rule of Practice and Procedure to allow for remote hearings, electronic filings, and electronic service. The changes made permanent many of the temporary changes implemented by the WCAB.
Because of the backlog of medical-legal evaluations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC) adopted emergency regulations for medical-legal evaluations and reporting. The regulations became effective May 14, 2020, and originally were set to expire March 12, 2021. But they have been extended until Oct. 12, 2021.[1]
On March 19, 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 95 into law requiring most California employers to provide up to 80 hours of COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave. The law went into effect on March 29, 2021, but the requirements applied retroactively to Jan. 1, 2021. So, if an employee was eligible, an employer retroactively must pay the COVID-19 supplemental leave when the employee requests it, either orally or in writing. We published a detailed exposition of this new law last week.
On March 19, 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 95, which extends and expands the requirement for employers to provide supplemental paid sick leave to employees affected by COVID-19. The law places new paid leave requirements on most California employers, and it requires their immediate attention. Gov. Newsom explained the reason for the new law: “Paid sick leave gives workers the time they need to care for themselves and loved ones while keeping their co-workers, families, and community safe.” The law takes effect immediately, but includes a 10-day grace period for employers to start providing sick leave. Employers must begin providing the leave on March 29, 2021. The new law applies retroactively to Jan. 1, 2021, and will remain in effect until Sept. 30, 2021. It’s enforced by the California Labor Commissioner.
