Here’s what you need to know about Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program

Washington’s new Paid Family and Medical Leave program begins accepting applications on Jan. 2. Benefits are payable from the day before — Jan. 1, when the law takes effect.

Here are five things to know about it:

It’s different than federal FLMA

The state Paid Family and Medical Leave program offers partial wage replacement and covers workers in businesses of all sizes. The amount is based on income and can cover up to 90 percent of a worker’s typical wage. It’s a progressive system in which low-income workers will receive up to 90 percent and those who earn more will get a lower percentage, said Clare DeLong, the program’s spokesperson. Wage replacement is capped at $1,000 per week.

The federal Family and Medical Leave Act offers unpaid leave to employees at companies with 50 or more employees.

Partial leave can be taken

Workers can take leave for up to 12 weeks a year — and in some cases between 16 and 18 weeks — to care for themselves or a family member through a serious illness or injury, to bond with a child from birth, placement or adoption; to get surgery, and for certain service-connected events for military families, such as spending time with a family member on active duty who has come home from an overseas deployment.

The program combines two types of leave into one, said DeLong, the program’s spokesperson. There’s medical leave to care for your own serious health condition — and family leave, such as caring for a parent. So if you need to recover from a surgery and you also have a child that year, you can take up to 16 weeks. You can get up to 18 weeks if there is a serious complication in pregnancy.

If leave is applied for in the event of a serious health condition, a health care provider is required to certify the condition. Serious health conditions include Alzheimer’s disease, recovery from cancer treatments, and treatment for substance abuse by a health care provider or by a licensed substance abuse treatment provider.

Eligibility based on hours

An employee must work at least 820 hours in Washington — which is about 16 hours per week — within a year. Hours are counted from all employers, including if you work two or three jobs at the same time, and seasonal or temporary work.

Program includes job protection

Workers are eligible for job protection, which is defined as returning to the same or similar position after taking leave. Workers can get that protection if they have been employed at a business with 50 or more people, worked there for at least one year and put in at least 1,250 hours.

Apply starting Jan. 2.

The state said if you plan to take leave early next year, there are three actions you should take now:

▪ Go to paidleave.wa.gov/2019 and assess your eligibility for the program using the downloadable eligibility questionnaire.

▪ Notify your employer in writing at least 30 days before you plan to start leave. A sample notification can be found on the Employment Security Department website at https://paidleave.wa.gov/files/Documents/30%20day%20notice%20to%20employer.pdf.

▪ Get your documents ready, including proof of ID documents to upload with your application, and a medical certification form in some cases.

This story was originally published December 17, 2019 at 6:05 AM.