NYS Paid Family Leave

As a NYS employer, Launch employees may be eligible for New York Paid Family Leave if they meet the conditions outlined below.

New York Paid Family Leave provides job-protected, paid time off so you can:

  • Bond with a newly born, adopted or fostered child,
  • Care for a close relative with a serious health condition, or
  • Assist with family situations when a family member is deployed abroad on active military service.

Paid Family Leave may also be available for use in situations when you or your minor dependent child are under an order of quarantine or isolation due to COVID-19. See PaidFamilyLeave.ny.gov/COVID19 for full details.You can continue your health insurance while on leave and are guaranteed the same or comparable job after your leave ends. If you contribute to the cost of your health

Benefits -- Time Paid Family Leave benefits were phased in over a four-year period. As of January 1, 2021, eligible employees may take up to 12 weeks of leave. This leave can be taken either all at once or intermittently, but must be taken in full-day increments. You may take the maximum time-off benefit in any given 52- week period.

Benefits -- Pay As of January 1, 2021, Paid Family Leave benefits provide 67% of your average weekly wage, capped at the same percentage of the New York State Average Weekly Wage. Visit PaidFamilyLeave.ny.gov for information on this year’s maximum weekly benefit, as well as a calculator to estimate your own benefits.

Eligibility All eligible employees are entitled to participate in Paid Family Leave.

  • Full-time employees: Employees who work a regular schedule of 20 or more hours per week ar eligible after 26 consecutive weeks of employment.
  • Part-time employees: Employees who work a regular schedule of less than 20 hours per week are eligible after working 175 days, which do not need to be consecutive. Employees are eligible regardless of citizenship and/or immigration status.

Qualifying Events

  • New Child: You can take Paid Family Leave during the first 12 months following the birth, adoption, or fostering of a child. Expectant mothers cannot take Paid Family Leave for their own pregnancy. Paid Family Leave for the birth of a child begins after the birth. It is not available for prenatal conditions.

  • Serious Illness: You can take Paid Family leave to care for a close relative with a serious health condition. These relatives can live outside of New York State and even outside the country. You cannot take Paid Family Leave for your own health condition.

A serious health condition is an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves:

  • Inpatient care in a hospital, hospice, or residential health care facility, or
  • Continuing treatment or continuing supervision by a health care provider.

A close relative includes:

  • Spouse
  • Domestic partner
  • Child and stepchild
  • Parent and stepparent
  • Parent-in-law
  • Grandparent
  • Grandchild

Military Active Service Deployment: You can take Paid Family Leave to assist with family situations arising when your spouse, domestic partner, child, or parent is deployed abroad on active military service or has been notified of an impending military deployment abroad. You cannot use Paid Family Leave for your own qualifying military event.

COVID-19 Quarantine: Paid Family Leave may also be available for use in situations when you or your minor dependent child are under an order of quarantine or isolation due to COVID-19. See PaidFamilyLeave.ny.gov/COVID19 for full details.

Your Rights and Protections

  • You have job protection, ensuring you can return to the same job (or a comparable one) when you return from Paid Family Leave.
  • You can keep your health insurance while on leave. If you contribute to the cost of your health insurance, you must continue to pay your portion of the premium cost while on leave.
  • Your employer is prohibited from discriminating or retaliating against you for requesting or taking Paid Family Leave.
  • You do not have to take all of your sick and/or vacation time before using Paid Family Leave.

Requesting Paid Family Leave at Launch To request paid family leave, please reach out to Camille Schlafer 30 days before your leave will start if it’s foreseeable. Otherwise, notify your employer as soon as possible. You will be given the appropriate PFL forms and instructions on how to submit Trinet's insurance carrier, Standard Security.