COVID Paid Leave Grant Relief Program

We have been notified that some contractors who should qualify for the COVID Paid Sick Leave Grant Program are being incorrectly rejected based on not meeting the “26-49” employee count despite having a core employee headcount that meets the criteria.

You have a limited time to appeal the decision and only one chance.
While we do not have any guidance from the grant application reviewers as to how they are reviewing appeals and what information is required, we believe it’s helpful and important for members to provide the following information and clarifications to improve your chances of having the appeal overturned:

- When appealing, note that you are a construction company and qualify under Industrial Welfare Commission Order No. 16-2001, for what defines a “core employee” for purposes of qualifying headcount. Core employees are the number of full-time employees that have worked for the employer, without any break in employment, for the past 24 months.”

- When submitting payroll records to show employee headcount, we recommend that you indicate (highlight) which employees qualify as core employees (no break in employment for the past 24 months) and which do not qualify due to a break in their employment in the last 24 months. Make sure they can easily decipher.

That statutory variance reads as follows:
“For purposes of calculating the number of employees to determine if the employer meets the 26 to 49 employees requirement for access to the grant program, an employer covered by Industrial Welfare Commission Order No. 16-2001, shall calculate their number of employees as the number of full-time employees that have worked for the employer, without any break in employment, for the past 24 months.”

Please contact UCON if you have questions or need assistance. 925-855-7900