On July 5, 2017, Governor Jay Inslee signed Senate Bill 5975 into law, providing paid family and medical leave benefits to eligible workers, effective Jan. 1, 2020. Key aspects of this leave program, which will be administered by a state agency, are as follows:
- Virtually all Washington employers are covered under the program.
- Employees are eligible for benefits after 820 hours of employment.
- Benefits are paid out at 90% of an employee’s average weekly wage, capped at $1,000 per week.
- January 1, 2019: Payroll deductions to fund the program begin.
- January 1, 2020: Eligible employees may begin receiving paid family and medical leave benefits.
Action Steps
Employers should review existing paid time off policies to determine whether they may opt out of the new law. Employers should also review other company policies, such as attendance policies, to determine whether they should be updated. Employers will also have to understand how the new law interacts with other laws, including the statewide paid sick leave law that goes into effect Jan. 1, 2018, and the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
For more details please refer to the following article on our website:
http://www.psfinc.com/articles/washington-enacts-paid-family-medical-leave/
Mariana I. Ancira, GBA
Vice President, Account Executive
Direct: 425-709-3631 | Cell: 206-779-0975
Toll Free: 800-457-0220 | Fax: 425-709-7460
e: mancira@psfinc.com
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