We have updated the Rhode Island Handbook to include a new provision: Paid Temporary Caregiver Insurance Benefits and Leave. 

Rhode Island passed the Temporary Caregiver Insurance law (effective January 5, 2014) to provide employees with an additional leave benefit and wage replacement benefits during that leave. The law has two main components.

1. Rhode Island employers are required to provide at least four weeks of job-protected leave per 52-week period for employees to care for a seriously ill child, spouse, domestic partner, parent, parent-in-law or grandparent — or to bond with a newborn, adopted or foster child.
2. Employees are eligible to receive payments through Rhode Island’s Temporary Caregiver Insurance (TCI) program while on leave. These benefits are financed solely through employee contributions to the TCI program. That program is solely responsible for determining if an employee is eligible for such benefits.

We recommend that you distribute and employees acknowledge receipt of the new policy in writing. The acknowledgement should be maintained in the employee’s personnel file.

The new policy may be accessed of FormSource under the New Hire section.

Please feel free to contact your HRBP or the Human Resources Solutions Group at (866) 400-6011 Option 2 if you have any questions.

This Client Alert provides general information regarding its subject and may not be construed as providing legal advice concerning particular circumstances.