Can An Employee Who Claims to Have COVID-19 and Self-Quarantines But Refuses to Get Tested Still Be Paid?
If an employee becomes ill with COVID-19 symptoms, they may request for paid sick leave under the FFCRA only to seek a medical diagnosis, or self-quarantine only if advised to do so by a healthcare provider. If tested positive, the employee may continue to take paid sick leave. This does not apply for illnesses unrelated to COVID-19—though employers may allow them to telework at their discretion. You may not take paid sick leave under the FFCRA if you unilaterally decide to self-quarantine for an illness without medical advice, even if you have COVID-19 symptoms.
About the author, Rhamy
Rhamy grew up watching and working with his mother and grandmother in the senior insurance market. This familiarity with the struggles faced by people trying to navigate the incredibly complicated and heavily regulated healthcare market led him to start Poplar Financial while working on his degree at the University of Memphis. After completing his MBA and Bachelors in Finance and Economics, Rhamy guided Poplar Financial through the disruptive opportunity that is the Affordable Care Act. Since then Poplar Financial has received numerous awards from major insurance carriers and has completed its fourth year in a row of doubling in size. Now his team focuses on the processes around human resources and specializes in providing companies with between 20 and 1000 employees with the payroll, benefits, and HR needs.