Federal employees could take paid time off for personal or family medical issues under the new laws introduced in the house on Jan. 28.
The Federal Comprehensive Paid Leave Act provides that federal employees have 12 weeks each year to care for a sick family member, their own serious health condition, or the needs of a family member who is about to be made active in the military.
The bill expands the paid parental leave rights guaranteed to federal employees under the National Defense Authorization Act of 2020. The original legislation introducing paid parental leave would also have taken into account the need for family leave and medical leave, but the final language for this legislation has been reduced to include only one new child in the family.
“Our frontline heroes, who risk their lives during this pandemic, shouldn’t be forced to take care of themselves or sick family members and put food on the table,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, DN.Y., in a press call on January 28th on the bill.
“I have fought for two decades to ensure that our federal employees have the resources they need to take care of themselves and their families while they serve our country. Today’s legislation is an important step in turning decades of hard work into a reality. “
Currently, federal employees can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid vacation due to personal or family illness, although loss of income during that time can be prohibitive for many who would otherwise need leisure.
“For many federal employees, unpaid family and sick leave is simply not a viable option. You cannot afford to sacrifice your income when a loved one falls ill, ”said Tony Reardon, National President of the National Treasury Employees Union, at the press conference.
“No federal employee should have to choose between paying a paycheck or caring for a sick relative. But too often workers are placed in exactly that position, ”said Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees.
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In addition to the fact that both houses of Congress are controlled by Democrats who have generally backed this paid vacation legislation, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may also bolster the argument that paid vacation is necessary for medical purposes.
“It will help alleviate the COVID crisis,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. A recent study in Health Affairs found that the provisions on paid emergency leave under current law helped reduce COVID infections by about 15,000 per day. We need a permanent solution to a problem that existed long before the pandemic. “
Such legislation would not only prevent employees from coming into the office when seriously ill, it would also ensure that the entire federal workforce – which could face a personnel crisis that could see 31 percent of the workforce retire next year – employees who might otherwise go to find better services or look after a family member in the long term.
“Not acting disproportionately harms women and many color communities,” said DeLauro, explaining that women had to disproportionately leave the workforce to take responsibility for sick family members during the pandemic.
According to Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., The federal government is already having a hard time competing with the private sector for talent, and falling behind in such paid vacation options will only make that competition difficult.
In fact, many members of Congress said that as the world’s largest employer, the federal government should lead the way in medical vacation packages, and the success of federal employees could motivate the passage of laws guaranteeing such paid vacation time for all workers.
All federal employees currently entitled to unpaid leave could access the new paid option, and the bill explicitly describes eligibility for government agencies that were inadvertently removed from the paid parental leave bill before it was later corrected.
Similar to the unpaid vacation requirements, a Fed is not eligible for paid medical vacation until they have worked for the government for at least 12 months, and an individual employee can only take 12 weeks of paid vacation for any reason within a 12 month time frame.
However, employees would not need to take their annual leave before taking family and medical leave.
The Fed must give 30 days notice before taking such a vacation, unless an emergency makes it impossible to cancel. In this case, you must notify your agency as soon as possible.
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