1. Beginning July 1, 2004, the Paid Family Leave (PFL) Law provides workers with a maximum of six weeks of partial pay each year while taking time off from work to bond with a newborn baby, newly adopted or foster child, or to care for a seriously ill parent, child, spouse or registered domestic partner.
2. Workers who already pay into the existing State Disability Insurance (SDI) Program are eligible for PFL benefits.
3. The PFL program is 100% employee-funded.
4. PFL benefits will replace approximately 55% of wages up to a maximum of $917 per week in 2008. The maximum benefit will increase automatically each year, commensurate with increases in the state’s average weekly wage.
5. There is a seven-day waiting period before workers can receive PFL benefits.
6. Employers may require a worker to use a maximum of two weeks of vacation time before receiving PFL benefits. One week of this vacation time will be used to cover the seven-day waiting period.
7. Employees who work for businesses with 50 or more employees may also be covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act and the California Family Rights Act, which provides a maximum of 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave.
8. New mothers who are eligible for pregnancy-related SDI will also be eligible for an additional six weeks of PFL benefits to bond with a new baby.
9. Workers may receive PFL benefits during leave that is taken all at one time or on an intermittent basis in hourly, daily or weekly increments.
10. California is the first state in the country to create a comprehensive Paid Family Leave benefits program.
How
to Apply