The New York Workers’ Compensation Board has issued revised regulations interpreting and supporting the state’s Paid Family Leave law that will start providing employees with pay benefits on January 1, 2018. This revised version of the regulations, published on May 24, 2017, is still not final. The Board is accepting comments for 30 days, or until June 23, 2017.

As a reminder, the law phases in from 2018 through 2021. Job-protected leave starts at 8 weeks per 12-month period and increases to 12 weeks; pay benefits start at 50% and increase to 67% in 2021. Leave is available to bond with a new child, care for a family member with a serious health condition, and tend to matters due to the active duty military deployment of a family member. A more detailed review of the law’s provisions is available on our prior Matrix Radar blog post here.

Along with the revised proposed regulations, the Board published a summary of the 117 comments received during the public comment period from advocacy groups, individual employees, and associations representing businesses, insurance carriers, law firms, unions, and employees. Here are a few interesting issues raised by the comments and the Board’s responses:

Employee Eligibility. NY PFL requires employees to become eligible for family leave after either 26 weeks or 175 days of work, depending on their schedule. The original regulations applied the 175-day eligibility rule only to part-time employees who worked fewer than 5 days per week. Section 380-2.5 has been amended to apply the 26 week eligibility criteria to employees who work 20 or more hours per week, and the 175-day eligibility criteria to those who work less than 20 hours per week. 380-2.5(a) and (b).

Employer’s Lack of Cooperation. Some insurance carriers requested clarity around their obligations if an employer refuses to cooperation in the PFL benefits process. The Board responded that the regulations then require the carrier to communicate directly with the employee, and the employer’s lack of cooperation is not grounds for denial of benefits. 380-5.4(e).

ICD-10 Code. The proposed regulations originally required that certifications from medical providers of a family member’s serious health condition include the ICD-10 code for the diagnosed condition. Commenters identified various concerns, ranging from possible delays caused by incomplete forms, to health privacy concerns. In light of these comments, this section has been amended to remove the provision requiring that the ICD-10 code be included as part of the family member’s certification. 380-4.2(a)(3).

Employee Language Preference. The original proposed regulations required an insurance carrier or self-insured employer to make all communications with an employee in the language identified by the employee on the Request for Paid Family Leave. The Board received several comments expressing concern that complying with this requirement will be overly burdensome and prohibitively expensive. As a result, the Board has indicated that it will translate the request for paid family leave forms and instructions into seven languages (not identified), and has revised the regulation to state that insurance carriers or self-insured employers must make all reasonable efforts consistent with the principles set forth in Executive Order 26.” §380-5.4(h).

Denial of Claim. Any denial of a claim for PFL benefits must be issued within 18 days of receipt of a completed claim. The revised proposed regulations have added a section specifying that the notice to the employee must state the reason for the denial, repeat any relevant information filed in the request for PFL, and include any other information considered by the carrier in making the denial decision. 380-5.4§(a)(1).

Employer Size for Coverage. Several small employers and individuals expressed concerns about the adverse effect of paid family leave on small employers. The statute defines a covered employer as an employer with one or more employees, and this cannot be modified by regulation. Therefore, no change has been made.

Employee Contributions during Leave. The Board has revised the regulations to clarify that an employer can continue to deduct PFL contributions while an employee is receiving disability or PFL benefits. 380-7.2(b)(4).

The full text of the revised proposed regulations, a summary of all comments received, and other NY PFL information is available on the Paid Family Leave page of the Workers’ Compensation Board website: http://www.wcb.ny.gov/PFL/pfl-regs.jsp.

MATRIX CAN HELP!

Matrix provides leave, disability, and accommodation management services to employers seeking a comprehensive and compliant solution to these complex employer obligations. We monitor the many leave laws being passed around the country and specialize in understanding how they work together. For leave management and accommodation assistance, contact us at ping@matrixcos.com.