Paid Family Medical Leave

The following states and the District of Columbia have adopted either paid leave for employees or Paid Family and Medical Leave laws: 

• California
• Colorado (leaves begin 1/1/2024)
• Connecticut
• Delaware (leaves begin 1/1/2026)
• Hawaii
• Maryland (leaves begin 1/1/2026) 
• Massachusetts
• Minnesota (leaves begin 1/1/2026) 
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• Oregon (leaves begin 9/3/2023)
• Rhode Island
• Vermont 
• Washington
• Washington D.C.

View the links on this page or visit www.sunlife.com/stateprograms to learn more.

Several states and the District of Columbia require that employers offer their employees a minimum level of disability or leave benefits for their own serious health condition, to care for a family member, for bonding, or other leave reasons. Some states treat time away from work during which statutory benefits are paid as being job-protected leave, while others do not.

Employers who choose private plan administration through Sun Life receive:

• A coordinated experience between PFML, Short-Term Disability and Absence Management Solutions, if applicable. This leads to a better experience for employees, with one claim submission and a single case manager handling the claim for these benefits.
• Robust reporting.
• Excellent claims management and access to return to work services.
• Compliance guidance on PFML and other leave issues.

An employer’s Short-Term Disability plan will not meet the state standards in terms of, among other things, employee eligibility, waiting period, definition of disability or serious health condition. Therefore, there are a number of situations when an employee may be eligible for benefits under a state-mandated disability or paid family and medical leave program but not eligible for benefits under the Short-Term Disability program. It is also important to note that Short-Term Disability plans provide greater protection for employees in a number of circumstances and, therefore, it is important to maintain your Short-Term Disability coverage. Sun Life can discuss these issues with you. Many states permit insurance carriers to offset statutory disability benefits against Short-Term Disability payments.