California Paid Family Leave: Employer Compliance & Responsibilities

New and Updated Policy Details

Employees may be eligible to receive benefits through the California Paid Family Leave (PFL) program, which is administered by the Employment Development Department (EDD), when they take leave to:

• Care for a child, spouse, parent, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, parent-in-law, or registered domestic partner with a serious health condition;
• Bond with a minor child within the first year of the child's birth or placement in connection with foster care or adoption; or
• Participate in a qualifying exigency related to the covered active duty or call to covered active duty of the employee's spouse, domestic partner, child, or parent in the Armed Forces of the United States.

These benefits are financed solely through employee payroll contributions to the PFL program. That program is solely responsible for determining if the employee is eligible for such benefits.

If employees need to take time off work for any of the reasons set forth above, they must advise the Company and they will be given information about the EDD's PFL program and how to apply for benefits. Employees also may contact their local EDD Office for further information. Employees should maintain regular contact with the Company during the time off work so the Company may monitor the employee's return-to-work status. In addition, the employee should contact the Company when ready to return to work so the Company may determine what positions, if any, are open.

When the employee applies for PFL benefits, the Human Resources Department will determine if the employee has any accrued but unused vacation and personal days available. If the employee has accrued but unused time available, then the employee may use up to two (2) weeks of such time before becoming eligible for PFL benefits.

Employees taking time off work for any of the reasons set forth above are not guaranteed job reinstatement unless they qualify for such reinstatement under federal or state family and medical leave laws.

Any time off for Paid Family Leave purposes will run concurrently with other leaves of absence, such as Family and Medical Leave/California Family Rights Act Leave, if applicable. Please see the "Family and Medical Leave/California Family Rights Act" policies in this handbook for eligibility requirements, if applicable.