Highlights
Impacted Employers:All employers in California
Effective Date:July 1, 2028
Summary:California has enacted legislation that will entitle employees to take paid family leave to care for a “designated person" with a serious health condition.
Next Steps:Review policies, practices and training to ensure compliance with the change by the effective date. See details below.
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The Details
Background
Under the state’s paid family leave (PFL) program, eligible employees may receive up to eight weeks of wage replacement benefits within a 12-month period to take time off from work for the following reasons:
- To care for a family member with a serious health condition.
- To bond with a minor child within one year of the birth or placement of the child in connection with foster care or adoption; and
- To participate in a qualifying event because of a family member’s military deployment.
Note: California's PFL law doesn't specifically offer job protection, but an employee's absence may be protected under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, California Family Rights Act, paid sick leave or other laws.
Senate Bill 590
Effective July 1, 2028, Senate Bill 590 expands eligibility for benefits under the PFL program to include individuals who take time off work to care for a “designated person” with a serious health condition.
Senate Bill 590 defines “designated person” as any care recipient related by blood or whose association with the individual is the equivalent of a family relationship.
When an individual requests PFL benefits from the state for the first time to care for a designated person, the individual will be required to do both of the following:
- Identify the designated person.
- Under penalty of perjury, attest to either of the following:
Next Steps
Review policies, practices and training to ensure compliance with the amended law.