Coronavirus Aid- What's In The 'Families First' Package - NPR · 03/03/2020 · An additional $60...

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Here's What Is In The 'Families First'Coronavirus Aid Package Trump ApprovedMarch 19, 2020 · 5:12 PM ET

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Jessica Mendoza (center), a Virginia Hospital Center outpatient lab specialist, and James Meenan (right), the director of theVirginia Hospital Center outpatient lab, make final preparations before opening a drive-through coronavirus testing site onWednesday in Arlington, Va. President Trump signed a bill Wednesday that includes funding for testing.Drew Angerer/Getty Images

President Trump signed a second coronavirus emergency aid package into lawWednesday evening, after it passed with overwhelming support from the Senate.

The legislation follows a first emergency funding bill, which allocated roughly $8billion for coronavirus prevention, preparation and response efforts.

The latest package, named the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, responds tothe growing health and economic crises with provisions for paid sick leave, free testingand expanded unemployment benefits.

Each of the agencies getting funding must give a report on how the money has beenused within the next month.

Here's a breakdown of what the act includes.

Free testingThe legislation seeks to make testing for the coronavirus free to the public (withouthaving to use deductibles or copayments). It includes a variety of waivers in order fortesting costs to be covered by either insurance or government programs.

Additionally, it includes a temporary 6.2% increase in federal payments to Medicaidfor states.



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The Children's Health Insurance Program, for low-income children, will includetemporary coverage of diagnostic products.

An additional $60 million will go to the Department of Veterans Affairs for testingveterans, $64 million to the Indian Health Service for testing members of NativeAmerican tribes and $1 billion to the National Disaster Medical System forreimbursing testing costs for those without health insurance.

Paid sick leaveThe bill establishes a federal emergency paid-leave benefits program to providepayments to some employees.

It requires employers with fewer than 500 employees to provide two weeks' worth ofpaid sick leave if employees are unable to work because they're subject to quarantineor isolation, are experiencing symptoms of COVID–19, are caring for someone who is

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in quarantine or isolation and/or have children in schools that have closed.

Employers themselves will receive tax credits to offset the costs of providing this paidleave.

Under the legislation, an employer cannot require employees to find a replacementworker for themselves or require them to use other paid time off.

For those who are self-employed, there will be a tax credit equivalent to the sick leaveamount.

The legislation also gives up to three months of paid family and medical leave,equivalent to no less than two-thirds of the person's pay.

Unemployment aidThe legislation boosts unemployment benefits, with nearly $1 billion in state grants tocover processing and paying unemployment insurance.

It also raises the amount of assistance to states with high unemployment for those whohave exhausted benefits already.

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Nearly a billion dollars is being given to provide access to meals for those without foodsecurity. Half that amount will go toward funding for the Special SupplementalNutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, also known as WIC.

Another $400 million is allocated for an emergency food assistance program that willbe available through Sept. 30, 2021.

Certain households will be eligible for help if a child's school has been closed for atleast five consecutive days because of the health crisis.

The legislation allows certain waivers in order to expand who qualifies for benefitsthrough the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and suspends the program'swork requirements.

An additional $100 million will be set aside for nutrition assistance grants for U.S.territories (Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and American Samoa).

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Coronavirus Aid- What's In The 'Families First' Package - NPR · 03/03/2020 · An additional $60...

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