COVID-19 FAQ

(Updated as of 3/15/2020, 2:25 pm PST)

What should I do if someone displays symptoms of respiratory illness at the casino?

If you are aware that a patron or another team member displays any acute respiratory illness symptoms (i.e. cough, shortness of breath), please immediately notify your Operations Lead, Supervisor or Manager on duty. 

If I believe that I have been exposed to COVID-19, what should I do?

If you believe you have been exposed, please stay home and contact your Supervisor and local Human Resources (HR) representative right away, as well as your healthcare provider. The company may seek to have you tested for COVID-19, subject to the availability of tests, if there is good cause to believe that you may pose a direct threat to the health and safety of others.

Additionally, preventative care may include self-quarantine as a result of potential exposure to COVID-19 if quarantine is recommended by civil authorities.

Call ahead: If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and may have had contact with a person with COVID-19, or recently traveled to countries with apparent community spread, call your healthcare provider or local public health department first before seeking medical care so that appropriate precautions can be taken.

If I get sick, should I come to work?

If you are sick, you should not report to work, and should follow the company’s usual call-out procedures. If Paid Sick Leave (PSL) or Paid Time Off (PTO) is available to apply, you may choose to apply that time for your absence(s). 

If I’m feeling sick at work, will the company send me home? 

Yes, the company may send you home in order to ensure we are taking necessary steps and precautions to maintain workplace health and safety. 

If you appear to have acute respiratory illness symptoms (i.e. fever, cough, shortness of breath) upon arrival to work or become sick during the day will be separated from other team members and be sent home immediately, and will be required to provide a release to return to work. 

If sent home from work, will pay be available to me for time missed? 

The company will pay reporting time if you are sent home from work. Generally, you will be paid for at least half of your scheduled shift. 

What options do I have if my child’s school or daycare closes for reasons related to COVID-19?

If you need to stay home with your child, with appropriate verification/documentation, you will be excused from work accordingly and absences will not count against attendance. You may choose to apply accrued PSL and/or PTO to cover your absences. You could be eligible for unemployment benefits. Employment Development Department (EDD) representatives will determine eligibility on a case-by-case basis by scheduling a phone interview with you. Please see state benefit information below in table and QR codes. 

If I become exposed to COVID-19, and/or have to self-quarantine, what are my options for pay?

State Disability Insurance, Paid Family Leave, Unemployment Insurance, Paid Sick Leave, and/or Workers’ Compensation may be available to you. Absences for qualified reasons related to COVID-19, including the requirement to self-quarantine, will not count against attendance. 

Sick or Quarantined: If you’re unable to work due to having or being exposed to COVID-19 (certified by a medical professional), you can file a Disability Insurance (DI) claim. DI provides short-term benefit payments to eligible workers who have a full or partial loss of wages due to a non-work-related illness, injury, or pregnancy. Benefit amounts are approximately 60-70 percent of wages (depending on income) and range from $50-$1,300 a week.

Caregiving: If you’re unable to work because you are caring for an ill or quarantined family member with COVID-19 (certified by a medical professional), you can file a Paid Family Leave (PFL) claim. PFL provides up to six weeks of benefit payments to eligible workers who have a full or partial loss of wages because they need time off work to care for a seriously ill family member or to bond with a new child. Benefit amounts are approximately 60-70 percent of wages (depending on income) and range from $50-$1,300 a week.

What happens if the casino is temporarily shut down?

In the event that a casino decides to temporarily close down, you may choose to apply PSL and/or PTO. You may also be eligible for unemployment benefits during any time when work hours are reduced. For instances in which you are unable to work due to lack of work and/or casino shutdown for reasons related to COVID-19, absences will not count against attendance. 

When filing your unemployment claim, you will need to first register your personal information. When prompted, please select the following reasons: (Please click here for visual step by step instructions)

Separation Category: Laid Off/No Work

Separation Explanation: Business Closed/Plan Shutdown (temporarily or permanently)

Leave the return to work date blank. 

Please note that the casino client location will reopen, and we’ll update you with confirmed reopen dates.

How much can I collect in benefits with an Unemployment Insurance (UI) claim?

Eligible individuals can receive benefits that range from $40-$450 per week. Depending on your maximum award for your UI claim and your weekly benefit amounts paid, the number of weeks you can potentially receive benefit payments ranges from 13 to 26 weeks if you are paid at your full weekly benefit amount for each of those weeks. Your payments could stretch to a longer duration if you perform some work for pay or if you receive other deductible income during the course of a claim, and you receive reduced unemployment benefits as a result during those weeks.

Can I collect disability and unemployment benefits at the same time?

You have the right to apply and file a claim for unemployment and disability benefits at the same time, but you can only collect payments under one benefit program at a time. You’re encouraged to file a claim under one program based on your circumstances or file under both programs if you are unsure of which program is most appropriate. The EDD will review the facts and determine your eligibility for the appropriate program – including when and how you can switch between types of insurance due to changing circumstances (e.g. employer shutdown, you become sick, etc.). 

How does PTO interact with state benefits? 

When determining the State Disability Insurance (SDI) eligibility, PTO payments are considered the same as sick-leave payments when employees are able to use PTO benefits for absences due to sickness or disability. SDI benefits are reduced by the amount of sick leave or PTO received, and an employee may be ineligible for SDI benefits depending on the amount of sick leave or PTO wages received and the employee’s weekly benefit amount. 

For State Unemployment Insurance, when there is a temporary time period in which you are unable to work (with a known return to work date), PTO/PSL wages will be factored into the calculation of the benefit. For indefinite periods of time in which you are unable to work (no known return to work date), PTO/PSL wages will not count against the calculation of the benefit. To calculate the estimated benefit to you, please use the EDD calculator tool with QR code. 

How do I apply for state unemployment benefits?

Use the links and QR codes to access the Employment Development Department online portal to apply for unemployment benefits.

How long is the waiting period to receive state unemployment benefits?

Governor Newsom has temporarily eliminated the regular one-week waiting period for unemployment benefits, so you would be eligible immediately. Typically, we have seen that the state takes approximately a week to process claims. However, given the likely influx at this time, it’s not possible to make any guarantees about when state benefits will come through. If you are concerned about benefit delays or other eligibility issues, please reach out to us and we will assist you. 

For a summary of state benefits you may be eligible for, please review the Benefits for Workers Impacted by COVID-19 table below, and some additional resources via the QR codes below. We will continue to be in communication with you as additional benefits become available. 

Reminder that our regularly scheduled paydays will continue without interruption for days and hours already worked. Our next payday is Friday, March 20. 

Benefits for Workers Impacted by COVID-19

Program

Why

What

Benefits

More Information

Disability Insurance

If you’re unable to work due to medical quarantine or illness related to COVID-19 (certified by a medical professional)

Short-term benefit payments to eligible workers who have a full or partial loss of wages due to a non-work-related illness, injury, or pregnancy.

Approximately 60-70 percent of wages (depending on income); ranges from $50-$1,300 a week for up to 52 weeks.

Paid Family Leave

If you’re unable to work because you are caring for an ill or quarantined family member with COVID-19 (certified by a medical professional)

Up to six weeks of benefit payments to eligible workers who have a full or partial loss of wages because they need time off work to care for a seriously ill family member.

Approximately 60-70 percent of wages (depending on income); ranges from $50-$1,300 a week for up to 6 weeks.

Unemployment Insurance

If you have had your hours reduced for reasons related to COVID-19

Partial wage replacement benefit payments to workers who lose their job or have their hours reduced, through no fault of their own.

Range from $40-$450 per week for up to 26 weeks.

Paid Sick Leave

If you or a family member are sick or for preventative care when civil authorities recommend quarantine

The leave you have accumulated or your employer has provided to you under the Paid Sick Leave law.

Paid to you at your regular rate of pay or an average based on the past 90 days.

Workers’ Compensation

If you are unable to do your usual job because you were exposed to and contracted COVID-19 during the regular course of your work, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits.

Benefits include temporary disability (TD) payments, which begin when your doctor says you can’t do your usual work for more than three days or you are hospitalized overnight. You may be entitled to TD for up to 104 weeks. TD stops when either you return to work, your doctor releases you for work, or your doctor says your illness has improved as much as it’s going to.

TD generally pays two-thirds of the gross wages you lose while you are recovering from a work-related illness or injury, up to the maximum weekly amount set by law. Eligible employees are entitled to medical treatment and additional payments if a doctor determines you suffered a permanent disability because of the illness.

For more information related to disability, paid family leave, and unemployment benefits, visit the Employment Development Department (EDD) FAQs at:

https://www.edd.ca.gov/about_edd/coronavirus-2019/faqs.htm

Where to file an unemployment claim: 

https://www.edd.ca.gov/Unemployment/UI_Online.htm

For assistance filing a claim, the EDD customer service phone number is 1-800-300-5616

Unemployment benefit calculator:

https://edd.ca.gov/unemployment/UI-Calculator.htm

For assistance filing a claim, the EDD customer service phone number is 1-800-300-5616. Customer service phone numbers are available in multiple languages at: https://www.edd.ca.gov/unemployment/telephone_numbers.htm