New York expands paid family leave to allow care for siblings with health conditions

On Nov. 1, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation to expand New York state’s Paid Family Leave. The addition to the law, set to go into effect Jan. 1, 2023, will allow employees to take paid leave to care for a sibling with a serious health condition.

“Taking care of your family is a basic human right, no one should have to choose between caring for a loved one and a paycheck,” Gov. Hochul said. “Fighting to expand paid family leave is personal to me and so many others, and I am proud to work with advocates and legislators to make sure that New Yorkers can now take care of their siblings without fear of losing their jobs or income.”

Paid Family Leave was introduced in New York State in 2016, and took effect in 2018. The legislation’s employee-paid insurance program allows workers job-protected paid time off to care for newborn, adopted and fostered children, care for a family member with a serious health condition or assist the family when a member is deployed or on active military service.

Siblings (be they biological, adopted, step or half) are now added to the list of those an employee is eligible to care for if they have serious health condition, along with spouses, domestic partners, children and step-children, parents, parents-in-law, grandparents and grandchildren.

Eligible employees may take up to 12 weeks of paid leave at 67% of their usual pay, up to a capped amount.

“New York State Paid Family Leave has helped thousands of New Yorkers care for their family members since taking effect in 2018,” said Clarissa Rodriguez, chair of the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board. “This bill further strengthens New York’s nation-leading Paid Family Leave, affording even more hard-working New Yorkers access to job-protected, paid time off so they may provide critical support to a sibling with a serious health condition.”