There are a number of resources available to employers and small business owners whose businesses and employees have been negatively impacted by the Coronavirus, or COVID-19.
VCEDA has compiled a list of links to make it easier for businesses to navigate through the variety of loan and grant programs available – from those offered through the Small Business Administration to those programs referenced in the recently-approved CARES Act.
Resources available include:
* Forgivable loans for qualified employers;
* Enhanced unemployment benefits for affected workers;
* Measures to help employers meet financial obligations to provide paid family and sick leave benefits;
* 50 percent tax credit for qualified wages paid during the crisis; and
* Emergency child care information and other resources.
Links to programs and information available include the following:
Small Business Administration:
https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance
U.S. Treasury Department (which links to CARES Act and more):
https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/top-priorities/cares-act
OSHA for guidance on preparing workplaces for COVID19:
https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3990.pdf
U.S. Department of the Treasury, IRS and the U.S. Department of Labor overview:
https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osec/osec20200320
Paycheck Protection Program:
https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/paycheck-protection-program-ppp
Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Employer Paid Leave Requirements:
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic/ffcra-employer-paid-leave
Full text of the Cares Act:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/748/text
Virginia Chamber of Commerce:
Interested persons may also contact any of the following offices to learn more about workforce programs available: Southwest Virginia Workforce Development Board, 276-608-1851; Virginia Employment Commission, 276-963-2660; or Small Business Development Center at Southwest Virginia Community College, 276-964-7345.