Paid family leave grows in DMV, but not guaranteed
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Access to paid family leave is expanding in the DMV, but the benefit isn't guaranteed for all.
Why it matters: Paid leave policies give new parents time to recover from birth and bond with their babies, while reducing financial stress on growing families.
The big picture: The U.S. guarantees 12 weeks of job-protected, unpaid family leave for some employees, but doesn't have a paid federal parental leave policy.
- That means employers with 50 or more workers are required to offer qualifying employees three months off. They're just not required to pay them for it.
- Meanwhile, most countries guarantee paid parental leave.
State of play: D.C. is currently the only jurisdiction in the Washington region offering paid family leave.
- D.C. workers get up to 12 weeks to care for a new child, or 12 weeks to address a health condition or a family's health condition. They also get two weeks for prenatal care.
Maryland passed its family leave bill in 2022, but it won't go into effect until July 2026.
- Workers will be able to take up to 12 weeks to welcome a new child, care for themselves or a family member, and prepare for a family member's deployment.
Virginia currently does not mandate paid family leave.
- A bill that would have set up a kind of unemployment insurance covering up to eight weeks of paid leave (at 80%) and administered through the Virginia Employment Commission passed the General Assembly this year but was vetoed by the governor.
Zoom in: Marylanders and Virginians can currently access paid family leave in two main ways, and they can be combined.
1. Through your employer.
- Rules vary: It could be you receive nothing ranging up to being paid for a year after birth, adoption, or foster care placement.
- Between the lines: Often employers say you must work for the company a set amount of time before you can use paid leave benefits.
2. From short-term disability, if you're a birthing parent.
- Workers could have the option to purchase short-term disability insurance as an add-on before they're pregnant.
- In Virginia, paid family leave can be offered as a type of insurance.
The latest: Pregnant people are now entitled to "reasonable accommodations," like the ability to telework and take time off for health care appointments, thanks to the Pregnancy Workers Fairness Act, which went into effect last year.
- And because of the PUMP Act, breastfeeding parents are entitled to break time and a private place to pump (that's not the bathroom).