Paid family leave in New York state has been expanded to include caring for siblings. Governor Kathy Hochul signed the bill Monday that will go into effect January 2023. Under the current law, employees cannot take leave to care for a sibling with a serious health condition.
New York’s Paid Family Leave program is employee-paid insurance that provides workers with job-protected, paid time off to spend with newborns, adopted or a fostered child; care for a family member with a serious health condition, or assist when a member of the family is deployed abroad on active military service. Paid Family Leave may also be available in some situations when an employee or their minor, dependent child is under an order of quarantine or isolation due to COVID-19. Eligible workers may take up to 12 weeks off at 67% of their pay (up to a cap) to care for family members in times of need.
Currently, Paid Family Leave family care covers caring for spouses, domestic partners, children and step-children, parents, parents-in-law, grandparents and grandchildren with a serious health condition. Through the new legislation, the definition of “family members” expands to include siblings. This includes biological siblings, adopted siblings, step-siblings and half-siblings. These family members can live outside of New York State, and even outside of the country.
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