Colorado workers receive more than $311 million in paid leave from new FAMLI program
Colorado’s new statewide paid-leave program doled out greater than $311 million in compensation to tens of hundreds of employees in its first six months, the state Division of Labor and Employment mentioned Monday.
Greater than 62,000 employees have had their pay partially changed beneath the Household and Medical Depart Insurance coverage (or FAMLI) program. This system seeks to compensate individuals who have to go away work for a lined private subject, together with to look after a brand new child or to cope with a severe well being situation.
The typical fee from this system was simply over $915, based on knowledge launched by the state.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the work we’ve accomplished to deliver Colorado employees the advantages they voted for,” Tracy Marshall, FAMLI’s director, mentioned in an announcement Monday. “We’re on stable monetary footing for the longer term, because of all of the Colorado employers and employees who stepped as much as construct this insurance coverage fund a 12 months and a half in the past.”
The portal to file claims opened in November, although this system didn’t begin paying cash till this 12 months.
This system is funded partially by premiums break up between employers and staff, totaling 0.9% of the worker’s wages, and the cash for authorized claims is paid out by the state. Funds from this system are calculated utilizing a sliding scale that’s primarily based on a employee’s current common weekly wage.
This system was created in 2020 after Colorado voters authorized Proposition 118. Eligible employees embrace those that take day without work after having or adopting a toddler; to look after their very own severe medical situation or for that of a member of the family; to make preparations for a navy deployment; or to handle impacts or security wants from a sexual assault or home violence incident.
Most employees can obtain compensation for as much as 12 weeks, although the timeline extends to 16 weeks for beginning or being pregnant problems.
In January, Marshall mentioned this system anticipated to obtain greater than 67,000 claims by June 30, which is the top of the state’s fiscal 12 months. Greater than 38,000 of the claims filed so far had been for an individual’s personal medical situation; almost 33,000 had been to bond with a brand new little one, based on the brand new knowledge.
The typical steady depart taken beneath this system is greater than 53 days, based on the Labor Division. Greater than 44,000 employees have accomplished their depart and already returned to work.
Employees who reside within the Greeley space, Aurora, Parker, Lone Tree, Commerce Metropolis and northeast Denver submitted probably the most claims, based on zip code-level knowledge offered by the division.
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