In a previous FINEOS blog post, “From Coast to Coast: End of Summer Leave Activity Brings Changes”, we shared that on August 23, the Mayor of the District of Columbia (D.C.) signed the Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Support Emergency Act of 2021 (the “Emergency Act”) which contained changes to the D.C. Family and Medical Leave Act (DC FMLA) and the D.C. Paid Family Leave programs (entitled the Universal Paid Leave Act, referred to as the D.C. Paid Family Leave, D.C. PFL). Then on September 27, the Mayor signed Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Support Act of 2021, a bill which makes the Emergency Act permanent. Per D.C.’s legislative process, this bill was transmitted to Congress and was enacted as a Permanent law on November 13, which went into effect immediately.
The key change to the D.C. FMLA relates to the calculation of employee eligibility:
| Pre-Amendment Requirement | Amendment Requirement | |
| Length of Service | Employee must have been employed by the same employer for one year without a break except for regular holiday, sick, or personal leave granted by the employee | Employee have been employed by the same employer for at least 12 consecutive or non-consecutive months in the 7 years immediately preceding the date on which the period of family or medical leave is to commence |
| Hours of Service | 1000 hours during the 12-month period immediately preceding the family or medical leave | 1000 hours during the 12-month period detailed above, which need not be consecutive and can look back over a period of 7 years preceding the date of leave. |
How is FINEOS helping carriers and employers prepare for these leave compliance changes?
FINEOS will be ready to administer this amendment to help our clients remain in compliance. Using modern insurance technology solutions like the FINEOS Platform can help insurance carriers remain agile and competitive when leave legislation is revised. Learn more about how a modern, integrated disability and absence management (IDAM) solution can help your organization adapt to sudden changes and remain in compliance here.
