Payroll 310 Badge #03 - FMLA and PFMLA-Payroll 310 Badge #3

Payroll 310 Badge #3 - PowerPoint

Pdf Summary

Badge #3 explains leave in school districts, focusing on the difference between general leave (time away from work) and <strong>protected leave</strong> (time away with rights to job reinstatement and protection from discrimination/retaliation). It summarizes key federal and Washington programs affecting payroll and HR processing.

<strong>Federal FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act)</strong> was enacted in <strong>1993</strong> and is governed by the U.S. Department of Labor. Covered employers include public agencies and all public/private elementary and secondary schools, plus private employers with 50+ employees. Employees are eligible if they have worked <strong>12 months</strong> (not necessarily consecutive; prior service may count unless the break is 7+ years), have <strong>1,250 hours</strong> in the prior 12 months, and work at a site with 50 employees within 75 miles. FMLA provides up to <strong>12 workweeks</strong> of unpaid, job-protected leave for birth/adoption/foster placement, the employee’s serious health condition, caring for a spouse/child/parent with a serious health condition, or certain military “qualifying exigencies.” Military caregiver leave can provide up to <strong>26 weeks</strong> in a single 12‑month period. Leave may be intermittent/reduced schedule. Paid leave may be substituted/run concurrently under employer policy and bargaining agreements. Employers must maintain group health benefits under the same terms, and employees must pay their share.

<strong>Washington PFML (Paid Family and Medical Leave)</strong> was passed in 2017, funded by employer/employee premiums (started 2019), with benefits available starting 2020, administered by the <strong>Employment Security Department (ESD)</strong>. Eligibility requires <strong>820 hours</strong> worked in a qualifying period. PFML provides partial wage replacement and generally runs concurrently with FMLA. Duration is typically <strong>12 weeks</strong>, up to <strong>16 weeks</strong> combined family/medical, and up to <strong>18 weeks</strong> with pregnancy complications. Employees apply to ESD, provide employer notice (generally 30 days if foreseeable), and submit weekly claims. Employers remit premiums quarterly and must provide required notices.

The module also covers the <strong>Washington Family Care Act</strong>, allowing employees to use earned paid leave to care for qualifying family members (not for the employee’s own condition), and provides key resources/links for compliance.

Keywords

school district leave policies

general leave vs protected leave

FMLA eligibility requirements

Family and Medical Leave Act 1993

12 weeks unpaid job-protected leave

military caregiver leave 26 weeks

intermittent or reduced schedule leave

Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)

ESD weekly claims and premium remittance

Washington Family Care Act use of paid leave