Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program becomes fully effective on January 1, with benefits available to eligible employees. Employers and employees began paying premiums to fund the new program in 2019.
Employees who meet eligibility requirements will be able to take covered leave beginning January 1. For more information you can visit the Paid Leave website.
We would like to thank the cities and other local government associations that weighed in on proposed rulemaking that would have extended an employer’s obligation to provide medical benefits to an employee who had exhausted their FMLA leave but was continuing to use PFML leave. Thanks to your input, ESD removed that provision from the new rules, so continuation of benefits only applies to FMLA-covered leave.