Paid Family Medical Leave

Paid Leave means not having to choose between job and family!

At some point, nearly everyone will need to take time away from work to deal with a serious personal or family illness, or to care for a new child. But only 17% of workers in the U.S. have access to paid leave through their employers.

The Wisconsin Family Medical Leave Act would create an insurance program that would support workers and businesses in our state.

Benefits of Paid Leave:

Strengthens economic security of new parents

Paid leave provides incomes stability for families with new children since 13% of families with a new infant become poor within a month.
Paid leave promotes families' financial independence since new mothers who take paid leave are 54% more likely to than mothers who do not to report wage increases and 39% less likely to need public assistance.

Supports caregivers

Policies to support employees with workplace leave for family caregiving responsibilities are important for maintaining economic growth and are a sound investment for America’s working families and employers.
Paid leave gives employees the ability to care for ill family members, strengthened their loyalty to their employer, and increased their likelihood of returning to work with the same employer after taking leave.

Improves health outcomes and reduces health costs

Paid parental leave reduces infant mortality and produces better long-term health outcomes, especially for children with chronic health conditions.
Seriously ill children recover faster when care for by their parents - shortening a child's hospital stay by 31%

Improves bottom lines for businesses

Paid leave insurance program are an affordable way for businesses to support and retain workers when serious family and medical needs arise, without creating significant new administrative burdens
Paid leave reduces worker replacement costs
In California, where a state paid leave program has been in place since 2004, 90% of employers or more report positive or neutral effects of the program on turnover, productivity, profitability and performance and morale.

Supports victims of abuse

Paid leave provides time off to go to court and to get the support domestic violence victims need to recover from their experience, which can include counseling services.
Paid leave can offer the roughly 1.3 million American women who experience domestic violence annually an easier time getting back on their feet.
Paid leave gives them the time and space to turn their lives around without worrying if their jobs are at stake.

Learn more about paid leave:

Wisconsin Family Medical Leave Act FAQ

What is Paid Family Medical Leave?
Paid time off following the birth or adoption of one’s child, to care for a family member with a serious health condition, or to deal with one’s own serious health condition.

Why does Wisconsin need legislation to ensure Paid Family Medical Leave? At some point, nearly everyone needs time away from work to recover from a serious illness or injury, to care for a loved one, or to care for a new child. Yet, the majority of working people in Wisconsin cannot take the leave they need without risking their job or economic security. There has been little movement on a federal paid family leave act, so states are taking the lead to ensure workers in their state have the protections they and their families need.

What does FMLI legislation do?
Wisconsin’s proposed legislation is referred to as Family Medical Leave Insurance (FMLI) which establishes a family and medical leave insurance program under which employees that pay into the program can receive pay while taking family or medical leave.

How does FMLI differ from the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)?
FMLI is paid leave. FMLA only covers 60% of the workforce and only guarantees unpaid leave which many workers cannot afford to take. FMLA doesn’t allow you to take unpaid leave to care for a loved one outside a parent, child, spouse, or domestic partner. Only 17% of the U.S. workers have access to paid family medical leave through their employer, which means the vast majority of workers face impossible choices when new children are born or adopted and when serious personal or family health issues inevitably rise.

How does FMLI differ from paid sick days?
Paid sick days are for short term employee illnesses, while FMLI covers longer absences for their own illness or injury.

Who would be covered under Wisconsin’s Paid Family Medical Insurance bill?

An estimated 2.7 million Wisconsinites would be eligible and an estimated 6% of all eligible workers will access FMLI benefits in a given year.
All employees (including part-time workers) who worked for any employer, at least 680 hours the year prior to a claim.
A self-employed individual who elects coverage under the program.
A covered individual who is on family or medical leave is eligible, beginning on January 1, 2024, for up to 12 weeks of family or medical leave insurance benefits.

How would the FMLI program work?

A family and medical leave insurance trust fund would be created and administered by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD).
A worker-contribution insurance fund would be created to pay out proportions of weekly earnings to those taking family or medical leave.
Employee contributions first apply to wages earned starting January 1, 2023.
FMLI would be available to employees starting January 1, 2024.
Would be paid for through an employee payroll deduction.

Who is included in Covered Family Members under FMLI?
Eligible family members for whom an employee could take paid leave to care for includes: parent, child, spouse, domestic partner, siblings, grandchildren, and grandparents.

How much do employees get paid when taking leave?

95% of average weekly earnings for workers earning less than $17,791.50. (30% of the state annual median wage which is $59,305).
90% of average weekly earnings for workers earning less than $29,652.50 (50% of the state annual median wage).
85% of average weekly earnings for workers earning between $29,652.50 and $47,444 (at least 50%, but less than 80%, of the state annual median wage).
60% of average weekly earnings for workers earning more than $47,444 (at least 80% of the state annual median wage).
An average weekly benefit payout for an eligible worker would be $569.
The maximum benefits payable cannot exceed $1,000 per week (adjusted according to the consumer price index).

How much would the FMLI cost a typical worker?

Example 1: Annual salary of $9,000 with 95% replacement rate upon leave will pay $1.33 per week into program fund.
Example 2: Annual salary of $30,000 with 66% replacement rate upon leave will pay $4.42 a week.
The maximum weekly payroll deduction would be $19.59 for those at or above the Social Security payroll deduction cap.

Are there measures to prevent fraud and abuse?
Yes. DWD review claims, ensuring only those who meet specific, objective standards will receive payments.

How would FMLI benefit employers?

FMLI is at no cost to employer because funded by employee payroll deduction.
FMLI would encourage employee recruitment, and retention, and reduced turnover.

Which states have already passed paid leave legislation?
California (2002), New Jersey (2008), Rhode Island (2013), New York (2016), Washington (2017), Massachusetts (2018), and Connecticut (2019). Similar bills have also been introduced in Main, Nebraska, North Dakota and Vermont.

Annual Salary	Weekly Payroll Deduction
$9,000	$1.33
$12,000	$1.77
$20,000	$2.95
$30,000	$4.42
$50,000	$7.37
$75,000	$11.05
$100,000	$14.74
$132,000	$19.59