November 7, 2018
Online Informational Session Helps Parents Use the Nation's Strongest Family Leave Law to Bond With Adopted Children
To honor National Adoption Awareness Month, New York today announced a new Paid Family Leave webinar to help employees understand their rights and use New York's landmark Paid Family Leave to bond with a newly adopted child. The webinar explains how eligible, working New Yorkers can take job-protected, paid time off to bond with a child who was adopted within the last 12 months. It also touches on the other qualifying events Paid Family Leave can be used for, which include bonding with a child born or fostered within the last 12 months; caring for a family member with a serious health condition; or assisting when a spouse, domestic partner, child or parent is deployed abroad on active military service.
"New York understands that working parents need time to bond with their children no matter how they join their families," Workers' Compensation Board Chair Clarissa Rodriguez said. "It's important that adoptive parents understand their rights and know they are entitled to job-protected, paid time off to welcome and get to know their new children. This early time together can help build strong families, which in turn builds a stronger New York."
The webinar will be held on Friday, November 16, from 12:00pm-1:00pm and is free and open to the public. Early registration is encouraged as space is limited. Register
Additional Paid Family Leave Resources
In addition to webinars, New York State offers complete details on Paid Family Leave at PaidFamilyLeave.ny.gov. More help is available via a toll-free Paid Family Leave Helpline at (844) 337-6303. Both provide resources in languages besides English.
The adoption webinar is part of New York's ongoing campaign to educate workers and employers about New York Paid Family Leave, which went into effect on Jan. 1. To date, the state has directly reached tens of thousands of New Yorkers through webinars and other outreach. More than 4 million people have accessed the Paid Family Leave website and more than 111,000 people have received information and assistance through the Paid Family Leave Helpline.
Paid Family Leave is employee-paid insurance that provides job-protected, paid time off from work to employees to care for family. In 2018, it provides up to eight weeks off at half-pay, up to a maximum of $652.96 per week. In 2019, eligible employees can take up to 10 weeks off at 55% of their pay, up to a maximum of $746.41. Benefits rise to 12 weeks at 67% of pay, again to a maximum, by 2021. Retaliation and discrimination are prohibited, and neither citizenship nor immigration status is a factor in employee eligibility.
CONTACT: publicinfo@wcb.ny.gov