Paid Family Medical Leave Act
Starting in 2020, Washington will be the fifth state in the nation to offer paid family and medical leave benefits to workers. This insurance program will allow workers to be paid a portion of their normal salary while taking up to 12 weeks of leave to care for a new child, recover from a serious illness or injury, take care of a relative, or for certain military events.
For more information, check out the information below or read more at the state’s official site here. Many details of the new law are still being determined. Student Employment will update this website as additional information is revealed. If you have any questions or concerns about your on-campus job, please feel free to reach out to our office at stuemp@plu.edu.
You become eligible once you have worked 820 hours in a qualifying period in Washington during the previous year. You can apply for benefits starting January 2020.
You may be entitled up to 12 weeks of partial wage replacement with a weekly maximum of $1000, adjusting annually. Your exact benefit is determined by your earned wages, the state median income, and other factors.
Employees covered by the state program could be entitled to job restoration when returning from leave if they:
- Work for an employer with 50 or more employees.
- Have worked for that employer for 12 months or more.
- Have worked at least 1250 hours for that employer in the past 12 months.
If your annual salary is $50,000, you will pay about $2.40 per week. The premium is 0.4% of an employees paycheck and is shared by the employee and employer. Premium assessment began January 1, 2019.
Paid Family & Medical Leave
Employee Impact FAQ