The union has received many questions from members about when the new Paid Parental Leave goes into effect, so here’s what we have learned since the bill was signed into law.
The law states that the new leave shall not apply to any births or adoption placement occurring before October 1, 2020. So that means if you are having a baby this summer, you will not be able to take advantage of the paid leave. If you are planning on expanding your family, you may want to adjust your plans so that the new child joins the family on or after October 1, 2020.
The new leave modifies the existing FMLA statute, which means employees will have to submit the same sort of paperwork they have previously submitted to take advantage of the new entitlement.
Employees must be employed for one year before being able to take advantage of the leave and you must agree to remain employed for no fewer than 12 weeks from the date of the end of the paid parental leave.
OPM has been directed to generate new regulations governing how paid parental leave will function, which will get into the finer details. As more information becomes available, we will send it out.