Paid Family Leave Eligibility

Issue/Question

Who is eligible for PFL?

Environment

• Paid Family Leave (PFL)

Cause

All permanent employees who have been employed for at least six continuous months are eligible for PFL. You must have reached six months of employment before the birth or placement of a child to receive PFL.

Resolution

1. Both spouses work for the state Are we both eligible to take PFL
   • Yes, both employees are eligible to take paid family leave
   • The employees may take PFL at the same time but are not required to do so
   • For example, one parent may take PFL immediately following the birth or adoption and the other parent may take PFL after his/her spouse returns to work
2. Am I required to take PFL immediately follow the birth of adoption of a child
   • No, you may take PFL within one year following the birth or adoption
3. Is PFL an annual benefit or is it provided for each birth or adoption
   • An employee is eligible to take paid family leave per event
   • For example, if an employee has more than one birth or adoption in a year, they will be eligible for paid family leave for each birth/adoption.
   • However, for the birth or placement of multiples (ex. twins), the employee will only be eligible for 192 hours of PFL
4. Must I use the PFL in eight consecutive weeks
   • No, The weeks do not have to be consecutive as long as the leave is taken within a year of the birth or adoption
5. Can I use paid family leave intermittently
   • Yes. As mentioned in #4, the weeks do not need to be consecutive but must be taken in full week increments according to the employee’s standard work week.
   • Any hours of PFL not used during a week the employee takes PFL will be lost
6. Does PFL count against my FMLA hours
   • Yes
7. I have exhausted my FLMA. Am I still able to take PFL
   • Yes, if you have exhausted your FMLA and give birth or adopt a child within that 12-month period, you may still take PFL
   • However, you will not have the job protections that FMLA provides