Five years in, Paid Leave has changed 500,000 lives
Washington’s first-in-the-nation Paid Family and Medical Leave program has helped Washingtonians navigate some of life’s biggest challenges
When you have a baby or adopt a child, Paid Leave is there. When a family member falls ill, Paid Leave is there. Before your loved one is deployed, Paid Leave is there. Paid Leave has been there for more than half a million Washingtonians when needed to be there for someone else.
As of June, the State of Washington has supported 200 million hours of paid leave to more than 500,000 Washingtonians who received $5 billion to avoid lost wages. Every hour and every dollar has been well-spent on Washington families, giving them priceless time off in a time of need.
Each of the 500,000-plus Washingtonians who used Washington’s paid leave program have a story. Those stories have a theme: Paid Leave was there for them.
Leading the nation
The United States is one of the last remaining countries in the world nation without a paid leave program. Federal law affords just about four short weeks of leave to new mothers — unpaid. Slowly, states are stepping in. Here in Washington, we now offer up to eighteen weeks to a wider variety of recipients — paid.
It’s been just about five years since Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) launched in Washington state. But the road goes back further than that. The Legislature first passed a Paid Leave policy in 2007, but open questions confounded the program and it never took off. A decade later, Gov. Jay Inslee would sign a new Paid Family Leave Law in 2017, making Washington just the fifth state to adopt such a policy, and it was hailed as the most generous in the nation. The program launched in 2019 and the first payments were issued in January 2020.
To date, the state Employment Security Department has accepted just over one million claims and approved just over 778,000. Among approved claims, 36% have been for medical leave, 34% for family bonding, 19% for medical pregnancy, 12% for family care, and 0.04% for family military leave.
Growing families
Alysia from Thurston County had a baby last year. Those early days are tough. Tears are shed. Diaper pails are filled. Parents are exhausted. But work wasn’t a stressor that Alysia or her husband had to worry about thanks to Paid Leave. Alysia took Medical Leave to recover from her pregnancy, and both she and her husband took Family Leave for time to bond with the baby.
“I would give it a 10 out of 10 — I’m literally a spokesperson for Washington state leave now,” said Alysia. “It gave some flexibility to new parents who are juggling a million things.”
Erika from Yakima County had a similar story. Erika has two kids and she’s enjoyed Paid Leave for both of their births. Paid time off meant time for her body to recover, time to bond with the new baby, time to care for the older child, and time to enjoy together as a family.
“It was a huge relief, because we didn’t have to cut down on expenses — we could just kind of continue our family life as normal and be able to pay our bills,” said Erika. “I didn’t have to go back to work before I was medically ready. Having a baby can be very traumatic physically. I had some medical issues. And then additionally, my husband was able to take his 12 weeks of family leave. So, both of our kids didn’t have to go to daycare until they were seven months old.”
Family leave is also available to parents or caretakers welcoming an adopted child or a foster child into their home. For growing families all over Washington, Paid Leave is there.
Care and recovery
Ruth was having back trouble and had to go in for spinal fusion to fix it. She wore a brace for three months afterwards. Paid Leave lifted some weight off her back while she recovered.
“I have to work 24/7 and there`s no way I could be able to go back to work even if I had enough time,” said Ruth. “Having the PFML from Washington state has made me not have to worry about finances.”
Douglas from Thurston County broke his clavicle. Melissa from Spokane County had to stay home to help a child through a health condition. Helen from Pierce County had a serious medical episode. Mike had to care for an ailing family member.
“I didn’t need any other stress,” said Helen. “Paid Leave really helped take that away and let me concentrate on listening to what the doctor said.”
“It made me feel like there was more assistance available to me on a kind of a societal level that is kind of not really a thing in America. So, it’s nice to have that and to see tax dollars go to supporting people,” said Alex.
“You deserve Paid Leave”
In the early days of designing the program, ESD employees conducted focus groups to hear from workers. They asked what they thought about Paid Leave — some workers didn’t believe it was possible.
Paid Leave is possible, and Washington state is proving it. Paid Leave is bettering lives, and people like Erika, Ruth, and Douglas are proving it. Washington is among the best states in the nation for workers, and the proof is in the nation’s highest minimum wage, nation-leading worker protections, and one of the few Paid Leave programs in the United States.
If you suffer a health episode or if you have a surgery coming up, Paid Leave is there. If you’re expecting or adopting, Paid Leave is there. If your loved one is deploying, Paid Leave is there. If you need time to care for a family member, Paid Leave is there.
You deserve it.
Learn more about Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave.
