Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration announced Thursday it is increasing paid parental leave for community workers from six to eight weeks and expanding the state Employee Assistance Program to provide additional benefits.
“We want to ensure our dedicated Commonwealth employees have the resources and support they need at home so they can do their jobs to the best of their ability while serving the good people of Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said in a statement. “Whether it’s welcoming a new family member, caring for an aging parent, or simply finding a reliable mechanic to fix their vehicle so they can get to work, these new benefits are available to our employees when they need them and underscore our administration’s commitment to their well-being and the well-being of their families.”
He added that parents shouldn’t have to choose between being connected to their families and getting a paycheck, noting that he’s a father of four. “I know that those first moments with your loved ones are special and some of the most important moments in a family’s life,” Shapiro said.
Starting today, eligible employees can take up to eight weeks of paid parental leave for the birth, adoption or foster care placement of a child within six months of the qualifying event. Either parent can take the leave, which will count toward their family and medical leave entitlement, according to the governor’s office.
Office of Administration Secretary Neil Weaver said there are about 1,900 births, adoptions and foster care placements among state employees each year. Expanding paid parental leave helps bolster the commonwealth’s efforts to hire, recruit and retain employees, Weaver added.
Under the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act, federal employees are entitled to 12 weeks of paid family leave, and 11 states have passed paid family and medical leave laws. Only 27% of private-sector workers have access to paid family leave, According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Pennsylvania does not have a paid family and medical leave law, but House Democrats have pushed through legislation to create a single.
The Shapiro administration said Thursday that in addition to expanding paid family leave for employees, it will expand support services provided to employees through the Employee Assistance Program, which currently includes the ability for employees to employ the services of a care manager to aid employees responsible for the care of a loved one develop a care plan.
