New York Paid Family Leave

As the impact of COVID-19 (the illness caused by the novel Coronavirus) continues to grow and puts so many of us at risk, we have created a COVID-19 Resource Center for important updates and information – including how New York’s “Emergency COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave Law” impacts New York Paid Family Leave.

FMLA, or The Family Medical Leave Act, has been in effect since 1993 when it was enacted to provide 12 weeks of unpaid job protections for eligible employees at covered employers.¹ Originally introduced with the recommendation of 6 months of leave, it underwent revisions to ease the burden on employers and make accommodations for the types of businesses that would be affected.²

Until recently, FMLA has been the only piece of legislation that allows employees to take unpaid time off from work for an extended period (12 weeks) without having to fear employer retribution or reduction or discontinuation of health care benefits.³

As the benefits of providing protected time off to care for families has become more apparent in recent years—both economically and socially—many states like California and New Jersey (among others) have taken it upon themselves to expand on the protections offered at the federal level by FMLA.⁴