Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave

Starting Jan. 1, 2020, employees who have worked 820 hours in the qualifying period (equal to 16 hours a week for a year) will be able to apply to take paid medical leave or paid family leave. The 820 hours are cumulative, regardless of the number of employers or jobs someone has during a year. All paid work over the course of the year counts toward the 820 hours, including part-time, seasonal and temporary work. While on leave, you are entitled to partial wage replacement. That means you will receive a portion of your average weekly pay. The benefit is generally up to 90 percent of your weekly wage, with a minimum of $100 per week and a maximum of $1,000 per week. You will be paid by the Employment Security Department rather than your employer. Unlike the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), employees of small businesses may take Paid Family and Medical Leave if they meet the standard eligibility requirements. More information on applying for benefits will come in 2019. Please go to paidleave.wa.gov for more information.

What protections are there for me?

Employees who return from leave under this law will be restored to a same or equivalent job if they work for an employer with 50 or more employees, have worked for this employer for at least 12 months, and have worked 1,250 hours in the 12 months before taking leave (about 24 hours per week, on average). You can keep your health insurance while on leave. If you contribute to the cost of your health insurance, you must continue to pay your portion of the premium cost while on leave. Your employer is prohibited from discriminating or retaliating against you for requesting or taking paid leave.