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Who’s Taking Advantage of New York
Paid Family Leave Act?

What Our Paid Family Leave Data Shows Us

Bonding is the #1 Claim

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How are they taking it?

Data shows that not all claimants are taking PFL in one chunk of time, in the first half of the year about 60% of claimants took their leave intermittently.

Paid Family Bonding Leave can also be taken in increments of as little as 1 day at a time for up to a year after the date of the birth, adoption or foster care. Example of how an employee who works a typical 5-day, 40-hour work week might take DBL and intermittent PFL:

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How is Paid Family Leave Being
Used in Conjunction with Disability Leave?


Employers need to be prepared to adjust to maternity leaves that could now be up to 14 weeks with the combination of Disability* and Paid Family Leave.

Read more about how DBL and PFL work together.

 
                    

The Beginning of 2018 Marked the Launch of New York’s Paid Family Leave

The beginning of 2018 marked the launch of New York’s Paid Family Leave Act (PFL). As the nation’s strongest and most comprehensive paid family leave act to date, agents, employers and employees are all learning to navigate into this new territory.

While the new law is a major step forward for those advocating for better paid leave options for families, employers can be faced with new challenges from a staffing perspective. Knowing how paid family leave is taken can help agents prepare their clients for tracking time off, finding temporary coverage and ensuring compliance with the requirements.
 

AmTrust Financial’s disability team

Our team analyzed our initial claims data from January through June 2018 to better understand how paid family leave was used, and to provide agents and policyholders with meaningful information about how it was being taken. Our data helped us determine:
 
  • Who is taking advantage of the new law
  • The size of the average claim by segment
  • Which companies are most likely to report a PFL claim

Who is Taking it?

19% of bonding claims were made by males. Read more about male bonding and paid family leave.

New York’s Required Paid Family Leave Act

(PFL) went into effect at the beginning of 2018. This new law provides NY employees with job-protected, paid leave to:
 
  • Bond with a newborn, adopted or foster child
  • Care for a loved one with a serious illness
  • Tend to family matters when a loved one is called to active military service

What’s Changing?

Paid Family Leave is based on a rolling 52-week period. You can use up to eight weeks in 2018, 10 weeks in 2019 and 2020 and 12 weeks in 2021.

Read more about 2019 New York paid family leave changes as well as our FAQs.
 

Learn More

For more information including who’s eligible, how to add PFL to your insurance coverage and advice for processing claims, visit AmTrust’s New York’s Paid Family Leave Act page.

To download our report, click here.
 
*What is NY DBL Insurance?

DBL stands for “Disability Benefits Law” (Article 9 of the Workers’ Compensation Law). This statutory disability insurance is mandated by the State of New York. Virtually all employers have to provide DBL coverage for their employees; and the State sets the benefit level. Learn more about the difference between DBL, PFL and FMLA.

This material is for informational purposes only, summarizes coverages and services that may be available in a policy, and is not legal or business advice.  Neither AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. nor any of its subsidiaries or affiliates represents or warrants that the information contained herein is appropriate or suitable for any specific business or legal purpose.  Readers seeking resolution of specific questions should consult their business and/or legal advisors.