He may qualify only if the earned income  in 2020 is less than the earned income  in 2019. You do not specify if the earned income in 2020 is greater than in 2019. It does not work both ways, it only applies when the earned income in 2019 is greater. They see this this way, if your earned income in 2020 is greater than in 2019, you were not affected for the pandemic. If you look at the worksheet, Letter C, it says that if your earned income in 2020 is more than in 2019, you do not qualify to use the provision. This law is intended for low income or moderate income people that  because of the virus, lost some earned income and as a result the EITC was reduced. Hope it helps.