California Enhances Paid Family Leave Benefits
Beginning this year, new claims can receive up to 90 percent of their wages, in contrast to the previous rates of 60 percent to 70 percent.
As of New Year’s Day, the state has elevated paid family leave and disability benefits to unprecedented levels, allowing individuals who earn less than $63,000 annually to receive up to 90 percent of their typical wages while on leave.
Individuals earning above this threshold will still receive up to 70 percent of their wages.
This enhancement applies to new claims submitted on or after Jan. 1, as per the governor’s office.
“Enhanced paid family leave benefits are intended to help Californians prioritize their health, bond with new children, and support their families without the stress of financial burdens,” Newsom remarked in a statement on Thursday.
According to the governor, this increase aims to foster a more affordable living environment in California.
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“This is beneficial for the economy and advantageous for workers,” Newsom stated in the video. “Making rent shouldn’t mean sacrificing precious moments with your children.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks in Colusa County on Dec. 10. Newsom announced the state’s increase in disability and family leave payments on Jan. 2. Travis Gillmore/The Epoch Times
Prior to this year, the family leave programs provided workers with 60 to 70 percent of their wages.
“The rates provided by State Disability Insurance and Paid Family Leave are both too low and impose strict limitations on who can qualify for the relatively higher rate,” Durazo mentioned in a legislative analysis of the bill.
At that time, only workers earning below approximately $27,000 annually qualified for a higher wage replacement of 70 percent, which equated to about $365 per week.
No opposition was recorded at the time of the bill’s passage.
Funding for disability insurance, which covers a maximum of 52 weeks, and the family leave program, which is covered for eight weeks, benefits around 18 million workers in California, as reported by the governor’s office.
The financing for these programs comes from deductions from workers’ salaries.
Jenya Cassidy, director of the nonprofit California Work & Family Coalition, which advocates for universal paid leave, expressed pride in contributing to this change.
The bill is anticipated to “significantly impact California parents and caregivers, enabling them to take meaningful time off to connect with their children, care for family members, or recover from their own serious health issues,” Cassidy stated Thursday in a release from the California Employment Development Department, the agency overseeing disability and paid family leave benefits.
