COVID-19: Publications
Check here for information regarding COVID-19 and how it may pertain to you.
- The Religious Exemption (Again), Posted by George Chuzi on April 22, 2022
- The Vaccine Mandate for Federal Employees is Back (Sort of, For Now), Posted by George Chuzi on April 12, 2022
- Couldn’t take paid COVID leave in 2020? You may have a lawsuit, Posted by Sarah Nesbitt on March 15, 2022
- Vaccines: Will Government Mandates Be Found Supreme?, Posted by Brent Soderstrum on December 30, 2021
- What is the Religious Exemption to the Vaccine Requirement?, Posted by George Chuzi on September 20, 2021
- Yes, the Federal Government Can Require its Employees to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine, Posted on September 7, 2021
- OSHA’s New COVID-19 Rule Protects Healthcare Workers, Posted by Richard Renner on June 24, 2021
- A Return to the Old Normal: Can My Employer Require Me to Get Vaccinated Before I Return to the Office? The EEOC Says Yes, June 14, 2021
- New OPM Guidance Provides More Details on COVID Paid Leave Benefit, Posted by Roshni Shikari on May 18, 2021
- American Rescue Plan Provides Federal Employees With Additional COVID-Related Leave Benefits, Posted by Robert DePriest on April 20, 2021
- Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), Posted by Elisabeth Baker-Pham on October 19, 2020
- Virginia First in the Nation to Impose COVID Safety Requirements for Employers
- Financial Help for Federal Employees, Posted by Mary Kuntz on May 29, 2020
- Taking Care of Your Mental Health: It’s Important for YOU, Your Work, and Also Your Security Clearance, May 10, 2020
- COVID-19 Is Especially Dangerous for You: What if your Agency Calls You Back to the Office? Posted by Mary Kuntz on May 8, 2020
- Am I Eligible for Additional Sick Leave Because of the Coronavirus, Posted by Mary Kuntz on May 6, 2020
- FAQ: COVID-19 and Navigating the Workplace with a Disability, Posted by Elisabeth Baker-Pham
- Federal Workforce May be Forced to Return to Work Prematurely Despite the COVID-19 Pandemic,
- Pandemic Whistleblowing for Federal Employees, Posted by Richard Renner on
- Your Security Clearance and COVID-19: Financial Responsibility Matters.
Posted by - “Ask the EEOC”: EEOC COVID-19 Answers in a Nutshell, Posted by Elisabeth Baker-Pham
- Pandemic reveals a hole in our web of whistleblower protections
- A $2 Trillion Response to Crisis, But What’s In It For Federal Employees? March 27, 2020
- Remedies for Lack of Medical Personnel Protections, Posted by Mary Kuntz on March 23, 2020
- What does the Families First Coronavirus Response Act mean for you? Posted by Sarah Martin on March 19, 2020
KCNF Speaks about COVID-19 and the Workplace
- Law360: Navy Vaccine Religious Exemption Ruling Warrants Scrutiny
KCNF attorney George Chuzi discusses the vaccine requirements the federal government has tried to impose on the workforce and the exceptions for medical or religious reasons. - Westlaw Today: EEOC answers prayer for guidance on religious exception
KCNF attorney Brent Soderstrum explains the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) guidance for employers when handling requests for religious exemptions regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. - cyberFEDS®: Key Considerations When Collecting Vaccine Status Information
KCNF attorney Elaine Fitch discusses confidentiality, access and administration, attestation policies, and the different requirements for “visitors” and “members of the public” entering federal buildings as federal agencies implement vaccine mandates and consider options for confirming vaccination status. - FedSmith: Financial Help for Federal Employees
KCNF attorney Mary Kuntz details to FedSmith financial resources available to help federal employees affected by COVID-19, including the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) and Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA). - cyberFEDS®: 4 ways to navigate the rise in mental health conditions due to COVID-19
KCNF attorney Nina Ren spoke with cyberFEDS about four ways to navigate the rise in mental health conditions due to COVID-19, and how agencies should be prepared to handle the rise in reasonable accommodation requests for mental health conditions that are worsening or arising for the first time. - cyberFEDS®: Engage in interactive process for continued telework upon return to the workplace
KCNF attorney Elisabeth Baker-Pham spoke with cyberFEDS and explained how engaging in the interactive process in good faith is really key to ensuring a safe and smooth return to the workplace amid the coronavirus pandemic. - Take Care of your Mental Health—Your Job May Depend On It
KCNF attorney Nina Ren’s article on why taking care of your mental health during this crisis is critical and how the wrong coping mechanisms can affect your security clearance was published in GovExec. - cyberFEDS®: Ordering work without PPE could violate regulation, trigger whistleblower complaints
KCNF attorney Richard Renner spoke with cyberFEDS that as employees return to the workplace, HR can help prevent complaints about any lack of personal protective equipment by showing flexibility and empathy, but should also be prepared to handle concerns about lack of PPE. - FAQ: COVID-19 and Navigating the Workplace with a Disability,
KCNF attorney Elisabeth Baker-Pham’s article on COVID-19 and Navigating the Workplace with Disability was published on the Workplace Fairness website. - Congress needs to update protections for workplace-safety whistleblowers
KCNF attorney Richard Renner’s letter to the editor “Congress needs to update protections for workplace-safety whistleblowers” was published in The Washington Post. - Unsanitized Bathrooms and Working While Sick: Postal Workers Flood OSHA With Coronavirus Complaints
KCNF attorney Richard Renner spoke with Government Executive about Postal Workers’ complaints filed with OSHA alleging COVID-19 related unsafe working conditions. - cyberFEDS®: 5 precautions for blowing the whistle on COVID-19 public health dangers
KCNF attorney Richard Renner spoke with cyberFEDS about how federal employees can blow the whistle on COVID-19 public health issues in the workplace. - Virus Whistleblowers Turning to OSHA Can Tap Extra Protections
KCNF attorney Richard Renner spoke with Bloomberg Law about the varied options available to whistleblowers who face retaliation for raising workplace health and safety concerns.
- The Justice Department Isn’t Giving Employees Enough Guidance On Working During The Coronavirus Pandemic, Workers Say
A DOJ employee group sent a letter to leadership Monday saying some offices have yet to put out policies addressing paid leave and flexible work schedules.
- Inspectors General and whistleblowers have never been more important than during the coronavirus crisis.
As KCNF whistleblower advocate Richard Renner explained to The Hill recently, “Unless an agency can show a good reason to remove them, federal workers tend to ‘enjoy a type of tenure.'” - Crisis at Oakdale: Coronavirus cripples federal prison in Louisiana
“The staff are stretched too thin down there,” said Heidi Burakiewicz, who represents the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) in the lawsuit. “They are doing a miraculous, amazing job, but I am so worried about how they’re going to keep this going, especially if additional people keep getting sick.” - Your workplace has banned travel because of the coronavirus. Now what?
KCNF attorney Heidi Burakiewicz spoke with The Washington Post about the coronavirus and its effects on employees in the workplace. - Council Unanimously Passes Emergency COVID-19 Response Bill
In an extraordinarily rapid and thorough manner, the Council solicited and received input from the public, individual Council offices and committees, as well as the executive branch and the Chief Financial Officer. - Q&A for federal employees about the coronavirus
Federal employees have many many issues and concerns surrounding the coronavirus and covid-19, the respiratory disease the virus causes. - 5 tips to managing performance during a pandemic.
James Eisenmann spoke with Cyberfeds about managing performance during a pandemic.
EEOC Guidance
- A message from EEOC Chair Janet Dhillon about unlawful national origin and race discrimination against Asian Americans in the workplace during the pandemic.
- What You Should Know About the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and COVID-19
- Pandemic Preparedness in the Workplace and the Americans With Disabilities Act
- EEOC COVID-19 “Ask the EEOC” Webinar
- EEOC COVID-19 “Ask the EEOC” Webinar Transcript
DOL Guidance
- DOL Fact Sheet: Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Employee Paid Leave Rights (English)
- DOL Fact Sheet: Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Employee Paid Leave Rights (Spanish)
- Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Questions and Answers
- COVID-19 and the Fair Labor Standards Act Questions and Answers
- COVID-19 and the Family and Medical Leave Act: Questions and Answers
- OSHA Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19
- Temporary OSHA Guidance on Respiratory Protection Standard
OPM Guidance
- OPM Memorandum: COVID-19 Emergency Paid Leave
- OPM Fact Sheet: Options for Telework-Eligible Employees with Caregiving Responsibilities
- OPM February 7, 2020 Memo Re: Human Resources Flexibilities Available for Federal Employees Impacted by the 2019 Novel Coronavirus and Attached Advice