Nevada Passes Employee Leave Laws for COVID-19 Vaccination and Kin Care
Vaccination Leave Took Effect June 9
Nevada has enacted bills requiring paid employee leave for COVID-19 vaccination and specifying that employers providing paid sick leave must allow the leave to be used to care for family members. In addition, the Nevada paid leave law was amended to clarify that it covers leave used for family and medical purposes.
The COVID-19 vaccination leave requirement took effect on passage on June 9, 2021 and the kin care law takes effect Oct. 1, 2021.
Under the COVID-19 vaccination leave law, private employers in Nevada with 50 or more employees must provide employees with two consecutive hours of paid leave per dose for COVID-19 vaccination, up to a total of four hours. The requirement does not apply to employers that provide on-site COVID-19 vaccination clinics during work hours, or to employers in their first two years of operation. The law contains notice and recordkeeping requirements.
This bill also amended the state’s paid leave law to specify that the law covers leave for medical and caregiving purposes.
A second bill requires Nevada private employers that provide sick leave to allow the leave for an employee’s immediate family member’s illness, injury, medical appointment or other authorized medical need. Employers may limit this kin care leave to the amount of leave the employee accrues over six months. Notice requirements apply; violators may be fined up to $5,000 per violation.
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Melissa Marsh, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is a human resources consultant and founder of HRinDemand, a human resources company in Reno, NV, offering expert guidance and easy-to-use tools to help small businesses with employment regulations, compliance, employee relations, and company growth.