State Releases Paid Family Leave Forms

The state has released the following three Paid Family Leave (PFL) forms, which are posted in fillable PDF format on a new Forms page on the PFL website:

• PFL-Waiver: Employee Opt-Out of Paid Family Leave Benefits: If an employee does not expect to work long enough to qualify for PFL (e.g., a seasonal worker), the employee may opt out of PFL by completing the Waiver of Benefits Form and submitting it to his/her employer.
• PFL-135: Employer’s Application for Voluntary Coverage – No Employee Contribution: Employers exempt from providing mandatory PFL may provide voluntary PFL by completing PFL-135 (if no employee contribution is required). This form is filed with the Bureau of Compliance, 328 State Street, Schenectady, NY 12305.
• PFL-136: Employer’s Application for Voluntary Coverage – Employee Contribution Required: Employers exempt from providing mandatory PFL may provide voluntary PFL by completing PFL-136 (if they will be requiring an employee contribution). This form should also be filed with the Bureau of Compliance, 328 State Street, Schenectady, NY 12305.

For member convenience, LeadingAge NY has posted these three forms on its website. At the time this article was published, there were difficulties being reported in accessing forms PFL-135 and PFL-136 on the PFL website.

PFL waivers must be offered to employees who will not work 26 consecutive weeks (if full-time) or 175 days within 52 weeks (if part-time). These waivers are to be offered to waiver-eligible employees as of Jan. 1, 2018, at the time of hire, or upon a status/schedule change that confers eligibility.

The PFL website indicates that additional forms will be released soon, including a PFL poster that employers must display in their place of business, similar to the Workers’ Compensation and Disability Benefits coverage posters.

The PFL legislation was enacted in 2016. Starting Jan. 1, 2018, the New York State PFL Program will provide qualified employees with paid leave to bond with a new child, to care for a loved one with a serious health condition, or in conjunction with a family member being called to active military service.

LeadingAge NY is offering an educational program on Tues., Nov. 7, 2017 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. entitled “NYS Paid Family Leave: Is Your Organization Ready?” Approved for one hour of educational credit, the program will discuss how this groundbreaking new law will impact your organization’s workplace, including case studies of circumstances likely to be encountered as employees begin to utilize this new benefit.

Contact: Dan Heim, dheim@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8866