To honor National Foster Care Month this May, New York today announced a new Paid Family Leave webinar to help employees use New York’s landmark Paid Family Leave to bond with a newly fostered child. The webinar explains how eligible, working New Yorkers can take job-protected, paid time off to bond with a foster child who was placed in their care within the last 12 months. It also touches on the other qualifying events Paid Family Leave can be used for, which include bonding with a child born or adopted within the last 12 months; caring for a family member with a serious health condition; or assisting when a spouse, domestic partner, child or parent is deployed abroad on active military service.
"New York understands that working parents need time to bond with their children no matter how they join their families,” Workers’ Compensation Board Chair Clarissa Rodriguez said. “Fostering a child may include periods of significant adjustment, for both child and parent. Having additional support can make all the difference in building strong families during this critical time, which in turn builds a stronger New York.” The webinar will be held on May 7 from 12:00pm-1:00pm and is free and open to the public. Early registration is encouraged as space is limited. To register, visit https://paidfamilyleave.ny.gov/event/foster-care-webinar.
Additional Paid Family Leave Resources
The foster care webinar is part of New York’s ongoing campaign to educate workers and employers about New York Paid Family Leave, which went into effect on January 1, 2018. In addition to webinars, New York offers complete details on Paid Family Leave at PaidFamilyLeave.ny.gov. Help is also available via a toll-free Paid Family Leave Helpline at 844-337-6303. Both provide resources in languages other than English.
Paid Family Leave is employee-funded insurance that provides job-protected, paid time off from work to employees to care for family. In 2019, it provides up to 10 weeks off at 55% of pay, up to a maximum of $746.41 per week. Benefits will continue to rise until 2021, when Paid Family Leave is fully phased in, at which time eligible employees will be able to take up 12 weeks at 67% of pay, again to a maximum. Retaliation and discrimination are prohibited, and neither citizenship nor immigration status is a factor in employee eligibility.
