Page 26 - BusinessWest May 26, 2020
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  Law
Examining PFML
With the Leave Bill Now in Effect, Here’s How It Works
Paid family medical leave is now the law in Massachusetts. And while most all employers know that, they may not know all the provisions and eligibility rules for this important piece of legislation. They need to know, because failure to abide by all those provisions may be costly, in more ways than one.
B
By Katharine Shove, Esq.
ack in 2018, Gov.
Charlie Baker signed the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave pro-
gram (PFML) into law. That legislation has now taken effect, and many employers have questions about exactly how the law works and
to whom it applies.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2021, most eligible
employees who work in Massachusetts are entitled to paid, job-protected time off from work to manage a serious health condition of their own; to bond with a child following the child’s birth, adop- tion, or foster placement; or to care for a family member suffering from a serious
health condition.
The PFML program is run by the
state’s Department of Family and Medical Leave, providing income
replacement benefits to eligible employees. PFML benefits are fund- ed by a payroll contribution deducted
from employees’ wages. Under the PFML law, employers were required to
begin such contributions on Oct. 1, 2019.
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