Benefits

Your employer is subject to the District of Columbia’s Paid Family Leave law, which provides covered employees paid time off from work for qualifying parental, family, medical, and prenatal events. For more information about the Paid Family Leave program, please visit the Office of Paid Family Leave’s website at dcpaidfamilyleave.dc.gov.

Covered Workers

To receive benefits under the Paid Family Leave program, you must work for a covered employer in DC. To find out if you are a covered worker, you can ask your employer or contact the Office of Paid Family Leave using the contact information below. Your employer is required to tell you if you are covered by the Paid Family Leave program. Additionally, your employer is required to provide you information about the Paid Family Leave program at these three (3) times:

1. At the time you were hired;
2. At least once a year; and
3. If you ask your employer for leave that could qualify for benefits under the Paid Family Leave program.

Covered Events

There are four (4) kinds of Paid Family Leave benefits:

1. Parental leave – receive benefits to bond with a new child for up to 12 weeks in a year;
2. Family leave – receive benefits to care for a family member for up to 12 weeks in a year;
3. Medical leave – receive benefits for your own serious health condition for up to 12 weeks in a year; and
4. Prenatal leave – receive benefits for prenatal medical care for up to 2 weeks in a year.

Maximum Leave Entitlement

Each kind of leave has its own eligibility rules and its own limit on the length of time you can receive benefits in a year. The maximum amount of leave for any combination of parental, family, and medical leave is 12 weeks. However, there is an exception for pregnant women who take prenatal leave. Pregnant women are eligible for 2 weeks of prenatal leave while pregnant and 12 weeks of parental leave after giving birth, for a maximum of 14 weeks.

Applying for Benefits

If you have experienced an event that may qualify for benefits, be sure to apply no more than 30 days after your event. You can learn more about applying for benefits with the Office of Paid Family Leave at dcpaidfamilyleave.dc.gov.

Benefit Amounts

Paid Family Leave benefits are based on the wages your employer paid to you and reported to the Department of Employment Services. If you believe your wages were reported incorrectly, you have the right to provide proof of your correct wages. The current maximum weekly benefit amount is $1,049.

Employee Protection

The Office of Paid Family Leave does not administer any job protections for District workers who take leave from work. However, some job protections may be available under laws and regulations administered by the District’s Office of Human Rights (OHR).

Under the Universal Paid Leave Act, the Office of Paid Family Leave is required to provide notice of the following:

1. That retaliation by a covered employer against a covered employee for requesting, applying for, or using paid-leave benefits is prohibited;
2. That an employee who works for a covered employer with under 20 employees shall not be entitled to job protection if he or she decides to take paid leave pursuant to this act; and
3. That employees have a right to file a complaint with OHR if they feel they have been retaliated against for requesting, applying for, or using paid leave. For more information on OHR and job protections, please visit the following web address: ohr.dc.gov.

For more information about Paid Family Leave, please visit the Office of Paid Family Leave’s website at dcpaidfamilyleave.dc.gov, call 202-899-3700, or email does.opfl@dc.gov.