District of Columbia

Below you will find any recent or upcoming changes to the family and medical leave and/or leave income replacement benefit law(s) within this state.

Last Updated: 02/01/2023

DC Paid Family Leave (Universal Paid Leave Act)

What is the Update?

The DC Paid Family Leave (PFL) program, which provides leave income replacement benefits for DC employees, reduced its contribution rate from 0.62% to 0.26% on July 1, 2022. DC is a fully employer-funded benefit.

The following changes took place, effective October 1, 2022:

Parental Leave benefits were 8 weeks in duration, but increased to 12 weeks.

Family Care Leave benefits were 6 weeks, but increased to 12 weeks.

Medical Leave benefits were 6 weeks, but increased to 12 weeks.

Prenatal Leave benefits benefits remain the same as prior to October 1, with 2 weeks of PFL benefits provided.

Combined leave benefits – The overall balance of PFL increased, also. Effective October 1, 2022, employees may take a maximum of 12 weeks of benefits (was previously 8 weeks total combined usage) in a 52-week period between all leave types. Pregnant employees will be eligible for 2 weeks of prenatal leave benefits and 12 weeks of parental leave benefits after giving birth, for a maximum of 14 weeks.

DC PFL Weekly benefit amount increased to $1,049 for claims beginning on or after October 1, 2022.

As a reminder, the 1 week waiting period for DC PFL benefits was permanently removed, effective July 25, 2022.

Update(11/29/2022): The DC Family and Medical Leave Act (DC FMLA), which provides job protected leave for DC employees, has released an updated employee notice. Please see the “Notice Requirements” section for details.

Handbook/Policy Updates

N/A

Notice Requirements

DC PFL – Employers are required to notify employees upon time of hire and annually thereafter regarding DC PFL and display the required poster in the workplace. The DC PFL poster may be found here.
DC FMLA – Employers are required to display the required poster in the workplace. The DC FMLA poster may be found here.

Larkin Action

The Larkin Company has updated leave packets to include the updated information under DC PFL.

Please ensure as a company you are offsetting any salary continuation/company top-up pay aligned with the new maximum weekly benefit rate and current duration of benefits, where applicable. The Larkin Company will adjust offsets for any top-up (leave of absence pay) calculations or STD, accordingly, if we handle these services for you.

Further Company Considerations

N/A

Resources

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Disclaimer

The Larkin Company has taken reasonable steps to ensure the accuracy of the information on this page, however we make no representation or warranty of any kind as to its accuracy or completeness. These resources should not be construed or substituted for legal advice. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such information provided herein, we encourage you to seek competent legal advice from a licensed attorney or appropriate professionals.