5. To facilitate the providing of the maximum possible benefits for employees and savings for employers in the State from the federal financing of unemployment benefits provided in connection with short-time compensation programs pursuant to section 2108 of the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act,” Pub. Law 116-136 and from federal financing of emergency increases in unemployment benefits under section 2104 of that act, the division shall, during the period from the effective date of this act until December 31, 2020, undertake the following actions:

a. Make available to all employers who may be eligible to participate in a shared work program pursuant to P.L.2011, c.154 (C. 43:21-20.3 et seq.) for which full federal funding of short-time unemployment benefits is available pursuant to section 2108 of the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act,” Pub. Law 116-136, a guidance document which explains:

(1) what the employer is required to do to establish, pursuant to P.L.2011, c.154 (C. 43:21-20.3 et seq.), shared work programs eligible for the federal funding, including providing certification to the division that any union representing employees in collective bargaining has entered into a written agreement regarding the terms of the program and certification that the employer will continue providing any current health insurance and pension coverage, paid time off and other benefits in the manner required by P.L.2011, c.154 (C. 43:21-20.3 et seq.);

(2) procedures for an employer to make an application for approval of a shared work program, including an explanation of how the employer may make preliminary calculations of benefits to be paid to participating employees to expedite the commencement of the payment of the benefits in the shortest possible time;

b. Provide any eligible employer with guidance in making an application;

c. Permit an application for approval of a shared work program to be submitted to, and approved by, the division in advance of the date on which reduced hours of employment are to commence to permit payment of benefits under the program immediately upon that commencement;

d. Permit employers who have fully laid off employees to resume employing those employees on a partial basis in a manner consistent with the requirements of P.L.2011, c.154 (C. 43:21-20.3 et seq.), and establish a shared work program to make short-time benefits available to those employees; and

e. Permit, upon the approval of a shared work program, of the payment of benefits retroactively back to the time that the shared work application was submitted and commenced in a manner consistent with the requirements of P.L.2011, c.154 (C. 43:21-20.3 et seq.).

L.2020, c.57, s.5.