NY PFL Expanding to Include Bereavement

As of today, the NY State Senate and General Assembly have both approved bill “S8380A”, which is proposing to add the death of a family member to the list of qualifying events for Paid Leave. The bill is currently awaiting Governor Cuomo’s signature.

The current bill will allow employees to take bereavement leave for up to 12 weeks, though the full 12-week entitlement would be phased in over the coming years similar to the current PFL entitlement. This is a significant extension compared to the average employer-sponsored bereavement leave of 4 days.

Once the benefit reaches full maturity, employees on paid bereavement leave would be eligible to receive up to $783.55 per week over the course of their leave (based on NYS current average weekly wage of $1,305.92).

The bill allows an employee who is taking care of an ailing qualifying family member to immediately transition from family leave to bereavement leave. 

Once signed into law, the amendment will go into effect on January 1, 2020.

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