We all know about New York’s paid COVID pandemic leave. New York employers have had to comply with this law for about five years now.
As of July 31, 2025, New York paid COVID leave expires. And it’s about time.
Handbook and Policy Concerns
But that’s not the end of it. Employers are well-advised to review their policies or their employee handbooks in light of the sunsetting of the law. Although the mandatory paid leave will be coming to an end, that’s not the only thing you should know.
If an employer maintains a COVID sick leave policy after the expiration of the law, employees have an argument that they’re still entitled to be paid for being out due to COVID quarantine. What do we mean? Well, employees are allowed to rely on written policies that they’ve been given by their employers. And if you’re like many New York employers, you’ve been complying with the law and providing COVID leave under an employee handbook or other policy.
So it’s time to change that, if you want it to be changed and you don’t want employees to rely on it after July 31st, because soon this kind of leave won’t be mandatory anymore.
What Remains in Place?
The New York sick leave law remains the law with which employers must comply. That’s the law that requires a certain number of hours per year of either unpaid or paid sick leave. And that law is completely different than the COVID paid leave law. So don’t get confused!
Bottom line: New York sick leave remains in place.
Another Thing to Know
While we can’t be certain it will remain online, the New York Department of Labor (DOL) has had a COVID sick leave complaint process in place for some time. It’s called a Safety, Health and Essential Rights Complaint, and it’s easy for an employee to complete the online reporting form. Employees have used it to report or complain when their employer hasn’t provided them with COVID sick leave benefits.
For obvious reasons, New York employers don’t want to give the DOL any additional reasons for investigating them.
Questions or Concerns
If you have questions about leave issues or policies, feel free to reach out.
Connect with us on social, email us at info@coppolalegal.com, or call us at 716.839.9700.
We’re here to help.
