More than 128,000 people used New York State’s paid family leave benefit providing job-protected, paid time off during the first year of its availability in 2018.

The benefit covered more than 8.5 million workers statewide, the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced in an Aug. 13 news release. 

Of the 8.5 million workers covered, more than 2 million had no previous coverage or protection under the federal Family & Medical Leave Act, Cuomo’s office said. 

The governor signed the paid family leave policy into law in 2016.

Compared to other states’ first year of paid family leave, New York had the highest overall participation rate, greatest percentage of men who used paid family leave, and the highest percentage of workers who took paid family leave to care for a family member with a serious health condition, Cuomo’s office said. 

Eight states (California, Oregon, Washington, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts) and the District of Columbia currently offer or have passed laws to offer paid family leave, according to the National Partnership for Women & Families.

In New York, employees can use paid family leave to bond with their new child; help relieve family pressures when a spouse, domestic partner, child or parent is called to active military service abroad; or care for a family member with a serious physical or mental-health condition.

A majority of the workers who took paid family leave in the first year made less than $60,000 a year and the group filing the most claims made less than $40,000 a year. 

The benefits available this year are higher than year one. Starting Jan. 1, 2019, most working New Yorkers became eligible to take up to 10 weeks of job-protected, paid time off at 55 percent of their average weekly wage. That’s up from the 2018 benefits of eight weeks at 50 percent of pay. 

Additionally, Cuomo on Feb. 3 signed legislation to expand the Paid Family Leave Law’s definition of “serious health condition” to include preparation for and recovery from surgery related to organ or tissue donation, “ensuring” those who donate can be cared for by their eligible family members under New York’s paid family leave program. 

Paid family leave benefits will continue rising until 2021, at which time employees will be eligible for up to 12 weeks of paid leave at 67 percent of their average weekly wage, capped at two-thirds of the statewide average weekly wage.

Eligibility

Most employees who work for private employers are covered for paid family leave; public employers may opt to offer it as well. Both full-time and part-time employees can become eligible to take paid family leave. 

Employees who regularly work more than 20 hours per week become eligible after having worked 26 consecutive weeks for the same employer. Employees who regularly work less than 20 hours per week become eligible after having worked 175 days for the same employer, which do not need to be consecutive. 

New York’s paid family leave is funded by employees through payroll deductions. In 2019, the contribution is 0.153 percent of an employee’s gross wages each pay period, according to the state. The maximum annual contribution is $107.97.