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September 29, 2022
Beginning October 1, 2022, eligible District of Columbia employees[1] will be entitled to more paid leave pursuant to the District’s Universal Paid Leave Amendment Act of 2022 (the “Act”). In addition to increasing paid leave benefits, the Act also decreases District employers’ payroll tax contribution rates, and puts an end to the one-week waiting period for District employees to receive benefit payments.
Currently, the maximum amount of time off available for parental leave is eight weeks, and the amount of time off available for family leave and medical leave is six weeks. With the expansion of leave under the Act, the allowable time off for these types of leave will increase to 12 weeks.[2]
Eligible District employees may take a maximum of 12 weeks of paid leave within a 52-workweek period regardless of the number of qualifying leave events during that time. One exception to this rule exists. Specifically, a District employee may combine their prenatal and parental leave, bringing their total leave time to 14 weeks. However, a District employee may not receive any combination of prenatal leave and medical leave exceeding 12 weeks.
District employers should review their leave policies, and, if necessary, revise them to ensure compliance with amendments to the District’s Paid Leave law.
The author of this article, Patricia Tsipras, is a member of the Bar of Pennsylvania. This article is designed to provide one perspective regarding recent legal developments, and is not intended to serve as legal advice in Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, or any other jurisdiction, nor does it establish an attorney-client relationship with any reader of the article where one does not exist. Always consult an attorney with specific legal issues.
[1] Employees are eligible as long as they spend 50 percent of their time physically working in the District.
[2] Prenatal leave will remain at two weeks.
