American Rescue Plan Act:  update on Emergency
Federal Employee Leave (EFEL)

Multiple questions were submitted to the Industrial Relations Department  regarding the recently 
passed American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). As part of the bill, funding for Emergency Federal 
Employ­ee Leave  (EFEL)  was appropriated.  The APWU  is monitoring  all  developments  regarding  
EFEL  and will continue to share information as it is received.
The  Office  of  Personnel  Management  (OPM)  is responsible  for  administering  the fund  and  
issuing guidelines on this new leave. We will not know how this leave will be implemented 
government-wide un­til OPM issues the regulations and guidelines.
However, this is what is known:
•  All postal employees, career or non-career, quali­fy for EFEL
•  $570,000,000  has  been  allotted  for  payment  of EFEL government-wide.
• Employees can utilize up to 600 hours of EFEL in total.
•  The law allows these 600 hours to be used through September  30,  2021  or  until  the  fund  is 
 deplet­ed-whichever  comes first.
Employees can utilize this leave if unable to work due to the following COVID-19 related reasons:
1. Subject to a federal, state, or local quarantine or isolation order related to COVID-19.
2. Has  been  advised   by  a  health  care  provider to  self-quarantine  due  to  concerns   
related  to COVID-19.
3. Caring for an individual who is subject to such an order as in (1) or has been so advised as in 
(2).
l.  Experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and seeking a medical diagnosis.
;_  Caring for the employee's son or daughter if the school or place of care of the son or daughter 
has been closed, requires or makes optional a virtual learning instruction model, requires or makes 
op­tional a hybrid of in-person  and virtual learning instruction  models,  or if the child-care  
provider of the son or daughter is unavailable, due to COVID-19 precautions.
. Experiencing any other substantially similar con­dition.
. Caring  for  a  family  member  with  a  mental  or physical  disability  or who is 55 years  of 
age or older and incapable  of self-care,  without  regard to whether another individual other than the ployee is available to care for such family member, if the place of care for such family mem is closed or the direct care provider is unavailable due to COVID-19.

8. Obtaining immunization  (vaccination) relate COVID-19 or is recovering from any injury, ability, 
 illness,  or condition  related  to such immunization.
Pay is at the employee's normal rate of hourly pay up to a maximum of $2,800 per pay period.
NTFT, PTF, PTR, and PSEs weekly hours paid be  based  upon  the  average  numbers  the  employee 
worked  the 26-pay  periods  prior to the leave be taken up to a maximum of 40 hours a week.
Employees  will  not  earn  credit  towards  retirement,  retirement  contributions,  contribute  
to TSP or receive TSP matching funds on hours paid under the EFEL.
To take this leave, employees should submit a Form  3971  and  indicate  they  are  requesting  EFEL 
on the form. Employees  must identify which of 8  qualifying  conditions  they  qualify  under  for leave. Postal management is to code the leave un TACS code 086-21. The Postal Service informed APWU that this code was made available in TACS on  March 17.
Management  is taking the position that qualify reason number 1 does not apply to postal employees as 
they are not subject to quarantine/isolation ordes related to COVID-19. Also, there has not been " 
other  substantially  similar  condition"  identified this time that would qualify under number 6.
On March 18, the Postal Service informed President Dimondstein that they are awaiting further clarification from OPM on the implementation, documen tion,  and  other items related  to the usage of EFEL.
OPM has instructed all government agencies, including the Postal Service, not to issue their own 
official permanent  policies  until  the  OPM-issued  guidance is released.
It is anticipated that the OPM guidance will be released in the next week or two. At that point, we will
share further information with the members.

The Local is holding a General Membership Meeting this Sunday, September 27, via Zoom. This is our first meeting in sometime, so please, register to attend. This meeting is for members of our local only, and membership is being checked prior to attendance. To register, copy and paste the link below into your browser.

Hi there, 

You are invited to a Zoom meeting. 
When: Sep 27, 2020 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) 

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0kdO-qrTMtHNMOIVl7QG3iJSYiNxcpL9mG 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

APWU Health Plan COVID-19 Coverage Enhancements

The Health Plan will:
•     Cover COVID-19 testing at no cost* to the member when testing is prescribed by a clinical 
professional
•     Cover telehealth visits at no cost* to the member when visits are performed through the 
Health Plan’s telehealth providers:

o  High Option: Visits through Amwell are available at www.amwell.com at no cost* to the member
o  Consumer Driven Option: Virtual visits through AmWell, Teladoc, and Doc on Demand are available 
at www.myuhc.com at no cost* to the member

•     Cover telehealth visits to network providers at no cost* to member when related to COVID-19
•     Waive inpatient prior authorization requirements related to COVID-19
•     Reminder: Members are encouraged to use mail order for maintenance medications which provides 
a 90-day refill and the delivery is free

*All deductible, coinsurance, and copays will be waived

Please note that the General Membership Meeting and Shop Steward Seminar scheduled for Sunday, March 22, 2020 is canceled. We will reschedule the shop steward seminar. No one will be adversely affected by this cancelation. 

Be safe, stay healthy, take care of family. Stay posted for additional information and schedules.

The American Postal Workers Union continually fights for safe jobs. The Postal Service, as we all know, is not the safest place to work. Learn what we can do to keep ourselves safe, and what the Union is doing to help keep us safe. For more information, click here.