New York’s COVID-19 Quarantine Leave Sunsets July 31

Amanda Graber

2025-07-28T00:30:00.0000000 2025-07-29T09:55:34.4100000

As of July 31, 2025, New York's COVID-19 Quarantine Leave legislation will expire, ending the state's emergency COVID paid sick leave provisions related to the pandemic. The legislation required employers to provide sick leave and other benefits for employees under a mandatory or precautionary order of quarantine or isolation due to COVID-19.

What does that mean for you?

Once the law is repealed on July 31, 2025, you will not be able to access these benefits, and submitted claims will be denied. After the sunset date, those dealing with a personal illness or caring for a family member may be covered under existing New York Paid Family Leave (PFL) and Disability Benefits Law (DBL) laws. If you have coverage through ShelterPoint, visit our Claim Help Center.

Stay ahead of changes to New York’s DBL/PFL regulations with expert guidance and updates. Check out our PFML Resource Center for more information, or sign up for updates to stay informed.

This material is for informational purposes only; it is not the same as official statements of position contained in the law and/or regulations and is not intended to provide legal counsel or advice. Please consult with an appropriate professional for legal, compliance, HR, tax, or any other specific advice.

Any Disability Benefits Law (DBL) and/or Paid Family Leave (PFL) information is based on the applicable statutes and regulations, and may change as regulations evolve or NY State issues guidance regarding DBL/PFL law and regulations. In the event of conflicting information with the policy and/or rider(s), the policy and/or rider(s) will take precedence over what is shown in this material. Policies are governed by Article 9 of Workers Compensation Board (WCB) Law (New York State Disability and Paid Family Leave Benefits Law). All DBL/PFL policies are New York-only products and are underwritten by ShelterPoint Life Insurance Company, a NY-domiciled carrier.

The ShelterPoint family of companies operates under the “ShelterPoint” name strictly as a marketing name, and no legal significance is expressed or implied. The ShelterPoint family of companies consists of ShelterPoint Life Insurance Company, a NY-domiciled carrier, and its wholly-owned subsidiary ShelterPoint Insurance Company, a FL-domiciled carrier, depending on the state (see our Geographic & Jurisdictional Notice here). ShelterPoint is a registered service mark.

COVID-19-related Benefit Changes in NY

What the CDC’s reduction of quarantine days means for NY’s Emergency Sick Leave benefits – and other recent changes

Anupam Garg

2022-01-28T00:30:00.0000000 2025-08-01T02:50:11.8100000

PLEASE NOTE: The Emergency Paid Sick Leave Law expired on July 31, 2025, ending COVID-specific paid leave. Learn more here.

Chances are, as the COVID-19 pandemic drags on with new variants and spikes, employees may be looking to their employers for wage replacement benefits while they are out on quarantine.

The good news is, eligible employees can still receive benefits under the NY Emergency Paid Sick Leave law, which was signed into law almost 2 years ago on March 18, 2020. But just as variants of COVID-19 have emerged, there are new variances and updates to New York’s original Emergency Paid Sick Leave benefits.

Let’s take a look at what has changed for 2022 and what remains the same. Check back here, or on our COVID-19 Resource Center – we’ll continue to post updates when NYS changes its regulations and/or guidance.

NY Emergency COVID-19 Benefits in 2022: What’s Changed?

The quarantine/isolation period is now 5 days (not 10 or 14 days)

As of Jan 4, 2022, NYS adopted the CDC guideline of 5 days for most workers:

• NYS now recommends a quarantine of up to 5 benefit days – if the employee is showing symptoms.  If, at the end of the 5-day period, the employee is still experiencing a fever, or symptoms are not improving, they should continue to quarantine for 5 more days.
• If the employees are not showing symptoms as of day 5, they may continue to work as they had before testing positive.*
• The NY Department of Health (DOH) created the Isolation & Quarantine table to clarify its quarantine guidelines.

The Federal law (“Families First Coronavirus Response Act”)(FFCRA) has expired.

Now that federal paid sick leave programs have ended, eligible employees may receive wage reimbursement under the New York Emergency Paid Sick Leave law (“EPSL”)– through employer-provided sick leave or partial wage reimbursement through their Disability Benefits Law (DBL) / Paid Family Leave (PFL) insurance carrier, depending upon the company size and annual net income (as of January 1, 2020).  More details on eligibility are below.  Please note, sick requirements under NY Emergency Paid Sick Leave are separate from any other state-mandated sick leave or employee accruals. Sick leave requirements under NY Emergency Paid Sick Leave are only applicable to self-quarantine. There is no sick leave requirement for minor quarantine claims.

Plus, this infographic has been updated to provide you with details on how much eligible employees may expect to receive and by whom in 2022! 

When caring for a family member, COVID-19 is no longer a “serious health condition”

The New York Workers Compensation Board no longer classifies COVID-19 as a serious health condition for “regular Paid Family Leave” benefits for family care.  It’s now treated similar to a cold or flu.  If the family member has COVID-19 complications – is hospital confined, under a course of prescription treatment, or received treatment at least 2 separate times for the condition by their health care provider, it might be a covered event.  More details on what is considered a serious health condition for PFL purposes can be found here.

Let’s look at an example**:

Sally needs to take care of her parent, John, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 Pneumonia. John was hospitalized for 3 days and received IV antibiotics and was released from the hospital on supplemental oxygen. John’s case is considered a serious health condition because he was hospital confined AND he also received prescription medication to help treat his condition. He’s also receiving ongoing treatment for the condition. Assuming Sally met all other eligibility criteria and the Doctor provided the necessary detail on the PFL-4 form, this would be a covered event for family caregiving under PFL.

Eligible employees may file a claim to care for their minor dependent child who is under quarantine due to COVID-19 through NY Emergency Paid Sick Leave as a Paid Family Leave claim.

NY Emergency COVID-19 Benefits in 2022: What Remains the Same?

Eligibility for benefits

To be eligible for Emergency COVID-19 benefits, employees must first meet overall DBL/PFL eligibility:

• Full-time employees: 26 consecutive weeks at current employer prior to the 1st requested Emergency Paid Sick Leave day to qualify for PFL benefits, and 4 weeks for DBL benefits.
• Part-time employees: 175 days worked at current employer prior to the 1st requested Emergency Paid Sick Leave day to qualify for PFL benefits, and 25 working days for DBL benefits.

Download this handy infographic with more eligibility details – recently updated for 2022!

NY Emergency COVID-19 Benefits are limited to 3 Quarantines

NYS guidance limits Emergency Paid Sick Leave benefits to no more than 3 COVID-19 quarantines where the employee has tested positive on the second and third incidents. There is no self-quarantine leave available if the employee is under a second or third quarantine and is not COVID+.

Eligible Employees Continue to Have Job Protection

Regardless of business size and annual net income, an eligible employee’s job is protected under NY Emergency Paid Sick Leave law.  This means that they may not face retaliation or loss of a job due to being out of work under quarantine – even if they are out three times having tested positive for COVID-19 on the second and third time!

Orders of Quarantine are still required – for now

Eligible employees still need to get an Order of Quarantine from their local health department . (you can drill down to your county’s DOH here, then select COVID-19 and follow the links to the Orders of Quarantine).  However, please note: alternatives to the Order of Quarantine/Isolation such as the self-attestation form (Affirmation of Isolation for COVID+ individuals, or Affirmation of Quarantine for exposure to COVID+ case), or a lab-confirmed positive test for the individual requiring leave are also accepted. Self-attestation forms for Isolation and Quarantine as published by NYS are available in our COVID-19 Resource Center.

How to file claims

If you receive DBL/PFL benefits from ShelterPoint, you can submit your COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave claim to claimforms@shelterpoint.com.  Or, if your company uses a different insurance company, check your carrier’s website.

By NYS law carriers have been given 18 days from receipt of a COMPLETED claim to make a determination. 

Have questions? 

We are here to help! We encourage you to visit our COVID-19 Resource Center first.

Still need help? Contact our customer support customerservice@shelterpoint.com and one of our reps would be happy to assist you.

Stay safe!

* Guidance for healthcare workers is slightly different, please refer to the CDCand/or NYS Dept of Health guidance for the latest quarantine/isolation information for healthcare workers.

^**This example is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be a guarantee of coverage.  Instead, claims are determined based upon the specific details of each claim upon submission of the claim. 

This blog post is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal counsel. Please consult with an appropriate professional for legal and compliance advice. Any PFL information is as of the blog post’s date stamp; it is based on the applicable statutes and regulation, and may change as regulations evolve or NY State issues guidance regarding Paid Family Leave regulations.

COVID-19 Claims: Top 5 Quick Tips For Smooth Processing

Anupam Garg

2022-01-28T00:00:00.0000000 2025-08-01T03:00:58.7030000

PLEASE NOTE: The Emergency Paid Sick Leave Law expired on July 31, 2025, ending COVID-specific paid leave. Learn more here.

The latest surge in COVID-19 cases has caused a corresponding surge in our COVID-19 claims.  As we do our best to get through the avalanche of claims quickly, we wanted to highlight the most common errors we see when filing these claims.  Follow these quick tips to help your claim avoid unnecessary delays and other pitfalls which occur when we receive an incomplete or inaccurate claim. 

Here’s our top 5 expert tips to help ensure smooth processing of your ShelterPoint COVID-19 Quarantine claim:

1. Make sure you’ve met overall NY DBL/PFL eligibility requirements first!

There are many layers to determine eligibility for Emergency Paid Sick Leave benefits.  But, the first step is always to ensure you’ve met overall eligibility requirements for NY Disability/Paid Family Leave (DBL/PFL) benefits.  This means:

• Full-time employees: 26 consecutive weeks at current employer prior to the 1st requested Emergency Paid Sick Leave day to qualify for PFL benefits, and 4 weeks for DBL benefits
• Part-time employees: 175 days worked at current employer prior to the 1st requested Emergency Paid Sick Leave day to qualify for PFL benefits, and 25 working days for DBL benefits.

​Download this infographic with more eligibility details – recently updated for 2022!  This will help determine if you may be eligible and, if so, who will provide wage replacement: your employer or your employer’s Disability Benefits/Paid Family Leave (DBL/PFL) insurance carrier (like ShelterPoint). 

• If your employer is supposed to pay benefits, then there is no need to file a claim with us.  Contact your employer directly.
• If you are supposed to file a claim for benefits through your DBL/PFL insurance carrier for partial wage replacement, then read on!

2. Review updated quarantine guidance BEFORE filing a claim

Find the latest information by going to our COVID-19 Resource Center, or more importantly, the New York Department of Health’s Isolation & Quarantine table which will help you determine if and for how long we can provide partial wage replacement.

Remember, we are held to the NY Emergency Paid Sick Leave law and we can pay on a claim only if it meets the law’s requirements including the NY Department of Health guidelines.

3. Use our ShelterPoint COVID-19 claim forms instead of NYS’s forms

While you may use the NYS COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave forms to submit your claim, our ShelterPoint claim forms include additional questions that we will need answers to before paying your claim.  So, we highly recommend using our claim forms instead of NYS forms to help cut down on unnecessary back and forth – which in turn, helps get your claim processed quicker.  It also includes a checklist with all the additional documentation we require to process a claim.  Download ShelterPoint Claim forms here.

4. Be sure to include an Order of Quarantine or self-attestation form as provided by the New York Department of Health. 

​You can find the form here, drill down to your county and then follow the page to the COVID-19 Resources where you will find the Order of Quarantine form or self-attestation form.  However, please note: alternatives to the Order of Quarantine/Isolation such as the self-attestation form (Affirmation of Isolation for COVID+ individuals, or Affirmation of Quarantine for exposure to COVID+ case), or a lab-confirmed positive test for the individual requiring leave are also accepted. Self-attestation forms for Isolation and Quarantine as published by NYS are available in our COVID-19 Resource Center. Your claim cannot be processed without this required documentation.

5. Only submit your claim ONE TIME!​

​Submitting more than once will almost certainly delay the time we need to process your claim. If we see a duplicate claim we will pull it out of the processing queue and try to match it with the duplicate claim.  Send the claim one time, by one method only.  Once your claim is registered, you will receive a claim#.

Please note: Currently there is no confirmation email for when you submit a claim, so please don’t submit a claim a second time because you were expecting a confirmation email and/or just to be sure we received it.  This will cause your claim to get pulled from the processing queue while we attempt to match it up with the duplicate claim!

For even more help in filing your claim, please visit our COVID-19 Related Claims Help Page.

Still have questions? Contact our customer service customerservice@shelterpoint.com and one of our reps would be happy to assist you!   

This blog post is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal counsel. Please consult with an appropriate professional for legal and compliance advice. Any PFL information is as of the blog post’s date stamp; it is based on the applicable statutes and regulation, and may change as regulations evolve or NY State issues guidance regarding Paid Family Leave regulations.

COVID-19 Benefits Changes in 2021

A look at what has changed in the NY and federal programs in 2021

Shelia McGarrigle

2021-03-31T09:00:00.0000000 2025-08-01T03:03:28.8300000

PLEASE NOTE: The Emergency Paid Sick Leave Law expired on July 31, 2025, ending COVID-specific paid leave. Learn more here.

As COVID-19 continues to impact our lives and vaccines are starting to slow the rate of spread of the virus, the New York State Department of Labor (DOL) provided new guidance on January, 20, 2021, that limits how often an employee can receive NY’s COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave benefits. The new guidance does not change the existing law, but in fact supplements it with new protocols and limits.  These are quite similar to the requirements New York set for health care providers last year.

Further, the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) law which provided federal benefits for certain COVID-19 related qualifying reasons, expired as of December 31, 2020 and now operates on a voluntary basis through September 30, 2021.  Let’s take a look at how these two programs changed in 2021 and what it may mean for you.   

New Guidance for NY COVID-19 Quarantine Benefits Effective January 20, 2021

As part of this new guidance, New York State now limits its COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave benefits to a maximum of three separate instances of being diagnosed with COVID-19.  For each quarantine you would need to obtain a mandatory order of quarantine or isolation, with the second and third quarantines each also requiring a positive COVID-19 test.

In other words, after an employee has received these benefits three times, they would not be eligible for these emergency benefits any further. This includes already taken benefits, so if an employee already had three covered instances, they would already be no longer eligible.  However, this does not include time paid out through the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) first.   

The January 20, 2021 guidance also provides return-to-work guidance for an employer when an employee tests positive for COVID-19, if an employee has been under a mandatory quarantine or isolation, and what an employer must do if they want to voluntarily keep an employee home due to an exposure or potential exposure to the virus.  To learn more about this guidance, please visit the Coronavirus section of the NY.Gov website.

What hasn’t changed

New York State did not change any of the main points of the law including the breakdown by employer structure, duration, employer role and employee benefits so if you want to brush up on your knowledge of the law, you can visit our NY Emergency Paid Sick Leave resource article.   

Or, download this updated infographic, which also breaks out what you need to know:

NY Emergency Paid Sick Leave Details

Federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) is no Longer Mandatory as of January 1, 2021

The FFCRA program, which began on April 1, 2020, expired as a mandatory program on December 31, 2020.   It recently has been expanded and extended on a voluntary basis through September 30, 2021 as part of “The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.”

This means, it’s up to employers if they want to offer their employees benefits through the federal plan or not.  However, we have seen few, if any, of our policyholders offering this new expanded voluntary program. So it’s important for employees taking leave to talk with their employers to find out what their specific situation is, and where they should file for their benefits. 

You can read more about the FFCRA here along with more details on the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 here.

How the Two Programs Work Together for Eligible New Yorkers

Since it is possible to come down with COVID-19 more than once, you may have already received benefits from the New York program and/or the federal FFCRA program.  So now, how do you know which program to you use? Since most employers have chosen not to extend the voluntary FFCRA benefits, then you may be just be eligible for the New York benefits.  But it could be New York, the federal or a combination of the two programs – which is why it’s important to speak to your employer to find out what your specific situation is.

This handy infographic has been updated to include example scenarios where the federal program has been extended, more than one COVID-19 leave has taken place and where the federal program is no longer available.

In this example we have 5 New York workers who are under a COVID-19 quarantine.  But, let’s take a closer look at Jane and David who need to take benefits after January 1, 2021.* 

Jane:

In her first COVID-19 quarantine, Jane received a combination of benefits due to her earning more than the federal salary cap – she received both New York and federal benefits for the first 14 calendar days of her quarantine, with 12 days of extended benefits from the New York program.  Yet, with the second COVID-19 quarantine, since Jane’s employer did not extend the federal FFCRA, Jane received all of her benefits from the New York program because she was not eligible for additional benefits under the Federal program.  Jane provided a positive COVID-19 test result for the second quarantine.   

David:

David earned less than the federal salary cap and is in the first benefit category in the above infographic.  In this example, David would be eligible for the full 14 days benefits from the federal program since his employer extended the FFCRA voluntarily, and can supplement this by receiving benefits from the New York program for the remaining 6 days of his quarantine.

*This example is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be a guarantee of coverage.  Instead, claims are determined based upon the specific details of each claim upon submission of the claim.

There are a lot of details on these two laws and the 2021 changes have added an additional layer of complexity to the benefits puzzle.  If you are looking for additional information, we encourage you to talk to your employer who can help direct you to the best program for your specific situation.  Stay up-to-date on changes just like these by subscribing here for updates on COVID-19 and your statutory benefits!

This blog post is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal counsel. Please consult with an appropriate professional for legal and compliance advice. Any PFL information is as of the blog post’s date stamp; it is based on the applicable statutes and regulation,  and may change as regulations evolve or NY State issues guidance regarding Paid Family Leave regulations. Have more questions? Email us at pflquestions@shelterpoint.com

COVID-19 Quarantine Benefits: Eligibility for Travel Advisory Spots

Anupam Garg

2020-11-04T08:00:00.0000000 2020-11-16T08:56:47.9930000

In light of the recent rise of COVID-19 cases globally and within the United States, New York State has issued new guidelines for New Yorkers who travel in and out of the state, or in and out of the country during the coronavirus pandemic.  It may impact the Paid Family Leave benefits you may ordinarily receive under NY’s Emergency Paid Sick Leave law if you are under a mandatory or precautionary order of quarantine.  Here is how you may be impacted.

Quarantine Benefits Eligibility for Travel Advisory Spots

Effective Wednesday, November 4, 2020, voluntary travel to any non-contiguous state requires a mandatory quarantine upon return to New York.  NY’s contiguous states are NJ, CT, MA, PA, VT and are exempt from the mandatory quarantine.  As of the date of this publication, the requirements for quarantine are positive test rates higher than 10 per 100,000 residents or higher than a 10% positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average.

Voluntary travel means you traveled for personal reasons (not related to work, and the travel was not at the direction of your employer). If you voluntarily travel outside of NY or its contiguous states, and that state or country meets the requirements for mandatory quarantine, you will forgo NY’s Emergency Paid Sick Leave benefits.

Updated Travel Protocol for New York State

Also, effective November 4, 2020, anyone visiting NY from any state that is non-contiguous to New York or who are non-essential workers and who normally must adhere to a mandatory 14-day quarantine have new guidelines to follow.  Get those updated travel guidelines here. 

These travel advisories change frequently.  To get the most up-to-date information on this new protocol and other advisories, please visit New York State’s travel advisory webpage here.

Keep up with the latest on your COVID-19 benefits, by signing up for our updates!

This blog post is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal counsel. Please consult with an appropriate professional for legal and compliance advice. Any Emergency COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave, Disability Benefits Law (DBL) and/or Paid Family Leave (PFL) information is as of the blog post’s date stamp; it is based on the applicable statutes and regulation, and may change as regulations evolve or NY State issues guidance regarding regulations.

COVID-19 NY Paid Sick Leave and Health Care Employers

New guidance released jointly by the New York State Departments of Health and Labor limits how often health care employees can receive quarantine benefits

Anupam Garg

2020-07-22T07:30:00.0000000 2021-02-12T14:29:46.0970000

New guidance released jointly by the New York State Departments of Health and Labor limits how often health care employees who test positive for COVID-19 can receive quarantine benefits under New York’s “Emergency COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave” law.

Who is considered a “health care employee” under the NY “Emergency COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave” law?

New York’s “Emergency COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave” defines a health care employee as a person employed at a(n):

• doctor’s office

• hospital

• long-term care facility

• outpatient clinic

• nursing home

• end stage renal disease facility

• post-secondary educational institution offering health care instruction

• medical school, local health department or agency

• assisted living residence

• adult care facility

• residence for people with developmental disabilities

• home health provider

• emergency medical services agency

• facility that performs laboratory or medical testing

• pharmacy

and at any similar institution, including any permanent or temporary institution, facility, location, or site providing similar medical services.

When can a health care employee receive New York’s COVID-19 benefits?

If an eligible health care employee tests positive for COVID-19, is under a qualified quarantine (including official order of quarantine/isolation – learn more here), and they cannot work remotely, they may still qualify for quarantine benefits under NY’s “Emergency COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave”. But the new guidance is limiting how often a health care employee may receive these benefits. We’ll get to the details in the next question.

First let’s just level-set: the same company size guidelines as for any other industries still apply, i.e. depending on the size of the employer, the employer may be responsible for paying the employee sick leave for a portion or all of the quarantine period, such as employees at companies with 100+ employees would not qualify for Emergency Quarantine benefits through their DBL/PFL insurance carrier (get a refresher here). 

Let’s take a look at some examples¹:

• Sue, a billing specialist in a doctor’s office, tested positive for COVID-19 but was asymptomatic and could work remotely from home. Sue was not eligible for NY’s Emergency Paid Sick Leave benefits, because she could still perform her job duties from home. 
• Yan, an ER nurse, tested positive for COVID-19 and could not continue his job duties unless he was at the hospital.  Yan was eligible to receive NY’s Emergency Paid Sick Leave benefits since he could not work remotely. 

¹This example is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be a guarantee of coverage.  Instead, claims are determined based upon the specific details of each claim upon submission of the claim. 

What happens if a health care employee tests positive for COVID-19 more than once?

NY Paid Sick Leave benefits are available to health care employees for up to 3 orders of quarantine – as long as each of the 3 times they tested positive for COVID-19.  

Once the employer has provided the employee the paid sick leave allotted to them (depending on the size of the group) their Emergency COVID-19 DBL/PFL insurance benefits may kick in.  So, if an employee tests positive a second or third time, the benefits may be provided by their employer, their DBL/PFL carrier, or a combination of both, depending on their specific situation.  If a health care employee tests positive a fourth time, they are not eligible for any further benefits. 

Here’s an example²:

Here we have 3 different health care workers, Dawn, Latisha, and Jeff each have 3 quarantines that happen to line up at the same times:

1. Dawn: Works at a small home health care service with 8 employees and less than $1m annual net income.
2. Latisha: Works at a doctor’s office with 30 employees.
3. Jeff: Works at a large hospital with 500 employees.

Since Dawn works for a small employer with less than 10 employees, the benefits for all three of her quarantines would be provided by her DBL/PFL insurance carrier.

Latisha would have some of her benefits provided by her employer, and some provided by her DBL/PFL insurance carrier because she works at an employer with 11-99 employees.

And Jeff works at a large employer with more than 100 employees, so his benefits would be provided solely by his employer.

² This example is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be a guarantee of coverage.  It assumes the employer is exempt from the “Families First Coronavirus Response Act. For those Employers who are not exempted from Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), the picture would look slightly different: The employer would be responsible for the full 10 work days for the first quarantine period for each of the employer sizes, and the carrier would not be responsible for the first quarantine period for any employer size. 

Does a health care employee need to provide documentation of a positive COVID-19 test result?

The employee must provide documentation of a positive test result from a licensed medical provider or testing facility.  However, they are not required to do so if the test was administered by their employer.

Are health care employees entitled to job protection?

Yes, each occurrence is protected by NY’s Emergency COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave law, which provides job protection to all eligible employees in companies of any size.

Stay tuned to the latest developments by subscribing to our COVID-19 updates!

COVID-19 Quarantine Benefits: How NY Travel Advisory Impacts

*Updated November 4, 2020*

Anupam Garg

2020-07-14T13:30:00.0000000 2020-11-16T08:19:39.1000000

11/4/20 Update: New York State has issued a new travel advisory protocol outlined here, please visit this page to get the latest update 

New York State has recently issued an Executive Order that impacts quarantine benefits under NY’s COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick Leave. Here is how this new regulation may affect you.

Quarantine Benefits Eligibility for Travel Advisory Spots

The original law already stipulated that if you travel to a country for which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a level 2 or 3 travel health notice and upon return test positive for COVID-19, you would not be eligible for NY Emergency Paid Sick Leave benefits or any other paid benefits. 

And now, effective June 25, 2020, if you voluntarily travel from NY State to US states on the travel advisory list, you would also not be eligible for NY’s Emergency Paid Sick Leave benefits or any other paid benefits under the following circumstances:

1. The state you traveled to has a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents, or higher than a 10% test positivity rate, over a 7-day rolling average
2. You went for reasons other than travelling as part of your employment or at the direction of your employer. 

The states and territories on the travel advisory list are as follows and have been updated as of September 22, 2020:

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arkansas
• Arizona
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Guam
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Oklahoma
• Puerto Rico
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

This list is fluid and changes based on COVID-19 numbers. For the most current travel advisory list, please visit this link.

On the flip side, people visiting NY from any one of the above states must adhere to a mandatory 14-day quarantine.  And a July 13, 2020 public health order requires visitors to submit a completed New York State Traveler Health form to officials at the airport or face a $2,000 fine for failure to complete the form.  Travelers coming to New York via cars or trains must fill out the form online. Visitors can opt-out of submitting this tracing form by requesting a hearing with the NYS Department of Health.  Get more information on this notification here.

Keep up with the latest on your COVID-19 benefits, by signing up for our updates!

This blog post is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal counsel. Please consult with an appropriate professional for legal and compliance advice. Any Emergency COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave, Disability Benefits Law (DBL) and/or Paid Family Leave (PFL) information is as of the blog post’s date stamp; it is based on the applicable statutes and regulation, and may change as regulations evolve or NY State issues guidance regarding regulations.

COVID-19 New Jersey Emergency Grace Periods

For our Dental and Life Insurance Policyholders

Anupam Garg

2020-05-07T00:00:00.0000000 2025-08-01T03:14:52.5730000

PLEASE NOTE: The Emergency Paid Sick Leave Law expired on July 31, 2025, ending COVID-specific paid leave. Learn more here.

We understand that, in these unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic, that you may be experiencing financial hardships due to a loss of business, lay off, furlough or other business disruptions.  To help ease your burden and provide greater flexibility for you in making premium payments, we are providing emergency grace periods for our New Jersey Dental and Life insurance policyholders who have suffered financial hardship due to COVID-19

You must contact us to take advantage of these emergency grace periods.

Are you a New York policyholder and experiencing financial hardship? Find out about your policy rights concerning the COVID-19 pandemic for life insurance policies and your DBL/PFL policies.  

Emergency Grace Periods for NJ Dental Policyholders Experiencing Financial Hardship Due to COVID-19

If you are a New Jersey employer with a Dental policy in good standing as of March 1, 2020, then we will provide a 60-day grace period to pay your premiums.  This grace period may be applied towards your April or May premium, and would continue for 60 calendar days from that date. Your unpaid premiums may be paid off over the remaining months of your policy period. But, you will not have less than 6 months to pay it off, even if you have less than 6 months left in your policy period. 

So, for example, if there are 9 months left in your policy period, you would have 9 months to pay off your deferred premium payments.  But, if you only had 3 months remaining on your policy, you will have 6 months for the deferred premium to be paid.

Emergency Grace Periods for NJ Life Policyholders Experiencing Financial Hardship Due to COVID-19

We will also be providing emergency grace periods for life insurance policies held by New Jersey employers with policies in good standing as of March 1, 2020.  ShelterPoint will apply a 90-day grace period to pay insurance premiums.  Policyholders may choose to have the 90-day grace period to begin retroactively on April 1, 2020, or opt for the period to begin May 1, 2020. Premiums not paid during the 90-day period may be paid over the course of the following year in up to 12 equal installments.  We will also extend to 90 days the period to exercise policyholder and contract holder rights and benefits under the policy.

Additional Information for both Dental and Life Insurance Policyholders

During these emergency grace periods, ShelterPoint will not cancel your policy for nonpayment and will waive late payment fees that you may incur. These late payments will not be reported to credit reporting agencies. We will also continue paying claims during the emergency grace period.  Please remember, if your business has suffered a financial hardship due to COVID-19, you must contact us to take advantage of the emergency grace period —it will not be automatically applied. 

We are here to help support you during these trying times.  For more information, or to request an extended grace period, please email: customerservice@shelterpoint.com.

New Jersey COVID-19 Legislation

New Jersey Temporary Disability Insurance and COVID-19

Anupam Garg

2020-04-24T00:00:00.0000000 2020-05-07T13:49:08.7630000

Like its neighbor, New York, the State of New Jersey has also responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by providing state-level benefits to help during these unprecedented times. And, like NY, New Jersey is doing this by modifying its existing statutory insurance - Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI), and Family Leave Insurance (FLI).  But, unlike New York (which created new, temporary emergency COVID-19 benefits), New Jersey took a different approach.

Governor Phil Murphy has signed two bills (S2374 and S2304) to provide job protection and paid leave for employees who cannot work due to COVID-19.  Effective March 25, 2020, eligible employees in New Jersey may be able to receive Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) benefits if they are sick with, or may have been exposed to COVID-19. The 7-day waiting period has been waived.  Additionally, they may use Family Leave Insurance (FLI) benefits to care for a family member with COVID-19 (or who may have been exposed). FLI does not have a waiting period for its benefits.  These temporary benefits are set to expire at the end of this year.

There is no separate, special benefit amount for these two statutory insurance coverages related to COVID-19 like there is for New York’s counterparts, DBL/PFL.  The Temporary Disability Insurance benefit amount an eligible employee receives under these COVID-19 related circumstances generally follows the regular TDI benefit calculation (learn more about the 2020 benefits here). New Jersey benefits are still set to increase significantly effective July 1 (see what’s changing here). Or read more about NJ’s Earned Sick Leave on the State’s website here.

There are many pieces to the benefits puzzle in New Jersey.   Many benefits that have been updated with the passing of these new bills, including Earned Sick Leave, Temporary Disability Insurance, Family Leave Insurance, Unemployment Benefits, and the new Federal “Families First Coronavirus Response Act”, each with their own their own set of eligibility requirements and interdependencies. The NJ Department of Labor & Workforce Development has put together a great summary of all the COVID-19 benefit options available to NJ employees here:

Worker Benefits, Protections and the Coronavirus (COVID-19): What NJ Workers Should Know

To help you navigate the many resources available online, we’ve handpicked these additional helpful links addressing frequently asked questions on this new legislation:

• A printable guide outlining COVID-19–related benefits for NJ employees.
• What to know about NJ vs. Federal COVID-19 benefits
• Other helpful COVID-19 New Jersey FAQs

We remain committed to our clients and here for you during these unprecedented times (learn more about our preparedness here).  Learn about how we are providing greater flexibility in paying premiums for our New Jersey dental and life insurance policyholders who are facing financial hardship due to COVID-19 with our emergency grace periods.

In light of the many questions and quickly changing information during this pandemic, we have created a COVID-19 Resource Center. Please visit often for updates, an overview of the Federal “Families First Coronavirus Response Act” or learn how New York State is addressing state-level benefits in light of the pandemic.

The information in this post is not intended as an offer of coverage (“Invitation to Contract”). It is for illustrative purposes only, providing a general overview of the services descred. It is not a contract. Available in NJ only.  ShelterPoint Life provides Temporary Disability Insurance private plans and does not provide Family Leave Insurance private plans.  The Temporary Disability Benefits (TDB) Law (Temporary Disability Benefits law (P.L.1948, c.110 (C:43-21-25 et seq.) governs this private plan and its interpretation and administration. All coverage extends up to TDB Law limits reflected in this policy. Please refer to the policy and TDB law for coverage details, a complete listing of covered services, provisions, conditions, exclusions, and terms under which the policy may be continued or cancelled. In the event of conflicting information with the policy and applicable TDB Law, the policy and TDB Law will take precedence over what is shown in this material.  Claim payment is not guaranteed; benefit amount depends on wages. Policies have a statutory 7-day waiting period.

Underwritten by:

ShelterPoint Life Insurance Company (principal office in Garden City, NY) in: NJ (form# TDB-P-NJ)

Free Coloring Pages for Creative Inspiration During Challenging Times

Send someone virtual love, thanks, or encouragement!

Anupam Garg

2020-04-15T11:00:00.0000000 2021-12-21T13:55:36.1870000

As most of us can’t do our jobs the way we used to, and schools have closed to help “flatten the curve” of COVID-19, our lives are far from normal: juggling home office, home schooling, and domestic duties pose challenges none of us were prepared for.

Like some of you, many of us at ShelterPoint have kids home with us now, too; all while answering your calls, processing your claims, and writing the information for our COVID-19 Resource Center. Being able to keep our commitment to you amidst these unprecedented circumstances made us wonder how we can help not just our own employees but other working moms and dads as well. We’re sure that you, just like us, welcome ideas how to keep our kids occupied with positive and meaningful activities.

Meaningful activities to help them find a creative outlet and inspiration, focus on the good in these challenging times, all while giving them a way to express their gratitude for those who work so selflessly on the frontlines or send someone a virtual hug. This is when our idea for coloring pages was born. Coloring pages are nothing groundbreaking, but the impact you can have with them may very well be. Our hope is that our inspirational coloring pages provide you and your families with a positive creative outlet in this time of uncertainty, while sparking some social goodwill around you:

• Send a picture of your artwork to:
  • support your local hospital/healthcare workers or other essential workers
  • share some virtual love with your friends and family
  • send someone encouragement during these challenging times


• Hang your artwork in the window:
  • for all your neighbors to see
  • to thank your delivery drivers

It’s fun for grown-ups, too! Art and all forms of creativity are valuable any time, but especially during these times of stress and social isolation. So, if you’re in need of a break, we welcome you to join the coloring fun. We can’t wait to see your finished pieces!

Simply download the PDFs, print them out, then let your creativity shine to help brighten these dark days! 

Newly Added - Coloring Pages for Mother's Day and Father's Day

Mother's Day	Father's Day

Inspirational Quote Coloring Pages to send some Encouragement:

Rainbows and Stars	Caterpillar and Butterfly

Coloring Pages to Send Some Virtual Love:

Newly added - Send this to someone you miss!	Send a High 5
Send a virtual hug	Send a thank you! (for healthcare workers, delivery drivers, essential workers, or anyone else who makes a difference)

Fun fact – these pages were all hand drawn by one of our talented employees, right here at ShelterPoint!

We’d love to see your finished artwork!  Snap a picture, and share/tag us on any of our Social Platforms for your chance to have your artwork featured on our page. 

@shelterpointgroup	@ShelterPointGroup	@ShelterPointLife	@ShelterPointGrp

Follow us to see when more coloring pages have been added to this page for you to work on, and to see all the featured artwork we post!

This blog post is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal counsel. Please consult with an appropriate professional for legal and compliance advice. Any Emergency COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave, Disability Benefits Law (DBL) and/or Paid Family Leave (PFL) information is as of the blog post’s date stamp; it is based on the applicable statutes and regulation, and may change as regulations evolve or NY State issues guidance regarding regulations.