BOSTON — Workers in Massachusetts can take up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave to care for a seriously ill or injured family member as the last portion of a 2018 law instituting paid family and medical leave went into effect July 1.
The law is designed to ensure workers do not miss out on wages while they take care of ill family members or a new child. It was originally passed and signed into law in June 2018 and has been phased in incrementally since January.
The law defines family members as a worker’s spouse or domestic partner, children, parents, grandchildren, siblings, or a spouse or domestic partner’s parents.
When caring for a family member with a serious health condition, the law says activities can include providing daily living needs that the family member cannot perform, providing transportation to the doctor or other facilities, taking them to therapy or medication appointments, and making arrangements for changes in care, according to the law.
Those who take paid leave are eligible to receive wage replacement benefits that are calculated as a percentage of their regular income, up to a maximum of $850 a week.
The program is funded through an up to 0.75% state wage tax on certain employees and, potentially, their employers. The amount varies depending on how much is contributed by each party, but the maximum that could be taken out of paycheck is $0.38 per $100, according to the state.
A majority of the law went into effect in January, including taking up to 12 weeks to care for a new child, 12 weeks for family needs of an active duty service member, 20 weeks for a serious personal illness or injury, and 26 weeks for a seriously ill or injured service member.