COVID-19 Resources

Here at YTI, we’ve been responding to changes caused by the coronavirus. Because of our focus on disability in the workplace, we are uniquely positioned to provide important information and expert advice about certain aspects of the COVID-19 crisis. Our experts have created resources to help you cope with this crisis, and we’ve brought them together here so you can access them all from one place.

Featured Article

Disabilities, Face Masks, and the ADA

Face masks bring up a range of concerns and questions related to certain disabilities and medical conditions. This article looks at mask-wearing scenarios for an employee returning to work, in-person training programs, and a customer in a grocery store.

General Information

  • ADA Coronavirus Resource Guide

    The Northeast ADA Center has posted this list of official government resources that are relevant to COVID-19 for people living in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

  • Work and the Coronavirus

    Explore a wide variety of articles about the many ways COVID-19 is affecting the workplace, all written by faculty and staff at Cornell University’s ILR School (of which YTI is a part).

Employment and the Workplace

  • COVID-19 Employment and Disability Resources

    EARN, the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion, provides a wide range of resources on its website. This article explains the importance of EARN and highlights coronavirus–related resources now available through EARN, including a special COVID-19 edition newsletter and the award-winning Mental Health Toolkit.

  • COVID-19 and the ADA

    This web page has guidance about workplace-related coronavirus situations, based on information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local public health authorities. You’ll find answers to questions like whether you can monitor employees for signs of illness, whether a COVID-19 diagnosis is considered a disability under the law, and more.

  • New Employment Numbers: What They Mean for People with Disabilities

    The remarkably high US unemployment rate for April 2020 signals that many people are out of work. But YTI’s Hassan Enayati and Ellice Switzer break down the figures to show the difference between the general unemployment rate and the higher unemployment rate for people with disabilities. They also provide context for this difference, consider the employment-population ratio, and note the need for funding to provide work-related supports to people with disabilities. For more on this topic and a look at the importance of Employment Service Networks in connecting employers and people with disabilities, read Impact on the Workforce and People with Disabilities, by Thomas Golden, Former YTI Executive Director.

  • Wellness Considerations for Workers with Disabilities

    The coronavirus pandemic poses challenges for people with disabilities who now need to work at home—or who still work outside the home. Find tips for physical, vocational, and financial health, as well as ideas for social and emotional wellness.

Social Insurance and Benefit Programs

  • Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 and Related Executive Orders

    As 2021 continues, benefits planners are analyzing new regulations from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021, which is part of the Consolidated Appropriates Act (CAA) of 2021. Benefits planners are also seeing a stream of Executive Orders from President Biden that may affect their clients. Based on all this new information, this fact sheet provides key details about evictions, Medicaid terminations, unemployment benefits, stimulus payments (EIPs), student loans, child care development block grants, repayment of suspended 2020 payroll taxes, increases in SNAP benefits, and more. (PDF download, English)

  • Acuerdo Coronavirus Respuesta y Alivio Apropiaciones Suplementarias de 2021 y Órdenes Ejecutivas Relacionadas

    Mientras el año 2021 transcurre, los planificadores de beneficios analizan regulaciones nuevas del Acuerdo Coronavirus Respuesta y Alivio Apropiaciones Suplementarias de 2021, el cual es parte del Acuerdo de Aprociaciones Consolidadas (CAA por sus siglas en inglés) de 2021. Los planificadores de beneficios estan viendo también una corriente de Órdenes Ejecutivas del presidente Biden que podrían afectar a sus clientes. Basado en toda esta nueva información, esta hoja de hechos provee detalles clave acerca de desalojos, finalizaciones de Medicaid, beneficios de desempleo, pagos de estímulo (EIPs por sus siglas en inglés), préstamos estudiantiles, subvenciones de desarrollo de cuidado infantil, pago de impuestos nominales suspendidos de 2020, incrementos en beneficios de SNAP y más. (PDF descargar, español)

  • Benefits Planning and the Executive Orders of August 8, 2020

    What do the executive orders from August 8 mean for benefits planners? Download this PDF to find a summary of each order, plus key takeaways for benefits planners on student loans, renters and mortgage payers, deferred payroll taxes, and unemployment insurance. (PDF download, English)

  • Planificación de Beneficios y las Órdenes Ejecutivas del 8 de agosto de 2020

    ¿Qué significan las órdenes ejecutivas del 8 de agosto para los planificadores de beneficios? Descargue este documento PDF para encontrar un resumen de cada orden, más conclusiones clave para planificadores de beneficios en cuanto a préstamos estudiantiles, inquilinos, propietarios de hipotecas, impuestos sobre nómina diferidos y seguro de desempleo. (PDF descargar, español)

  • COVID-19, the CARES Act, and Other Federal Legislation

    In this recorded video webinar from April 23, 2020, benefits experts Ray Cebula and Ed Lopez explain how measures in the CARES Act affect benefits management for people who have disabilities, with details on how they can receive their stimulus payment (economic impact payment), what they can expect from unemployment insurance, and how those payments interplay with other public benefits, including Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Title II benefits (SSDI, CDB, DWB, etc.), Medicaid, and more. They also discuss how to approach benefits planning and provide support during this challenging time.

  • COVID-19 and Social Insurance and Benefit Programs

    Various governmental actions, along with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) have had a dramatic impact on some public benefits programs in the United States—but not all. This document summarizes key changes to how benefits are now calculated, and also points out benefits programs that are unaffected at this time. Programs discussed include Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Title II benefits, such as Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Additional programs discussed are Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Medicaid and Medicare, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Veterans Affairs (VA) pensions. The document also looks at important changes to the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program. (PDF download, English)

  • COVID-19 y Seguro Social y Programas de Beneficios

    Varias acciones gubernamentales junto con el Acuerdo Económico de Seguridad,Alivio y Ayuda para Coronavirus (CARES por sus siglas en inglés) han tenido un impacto dramático en algunos programas de beneficios públicos en Estados Unidos, pero no en todos. Este documento resume cambios importantes en cuanto a cómo se estan calculando ahora los beneficios, y también señala programas de beneficios que no son afectados en este momento. (PDF descargar, español)

  • What You Need to Know: COVID-19, Stimulus Checks & People with Disabilities

    The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is over 800 pages long, so it’s not exactly a quick read. YTI faculty member Ray Cebula, however, was not deterred by the length and has devoted himself to learning how people with disabilities can best access this assistance—and to solving real-world problems related to it. What has Ray learned? Find out in this article and video.
    Watch the audio-described video