Beginning in 2028, working Virginians will be guaranteed the right to take paid time off to welcome a child, care for a seriously ill loved one, or recover from their own serious health condition.
With the signing of recent Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) legislation by Gov. Abigail Spanberger, House Bill 1207 and Senate Bill 2, the commonwealth has now established paid family and medical leave. The new laws create a payroll-funded insurance program that provides employees who qualify with up to 12 weeks of paid leave at 80% of their average weekly wage.
While the PFML is similar to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), a federal law that regulates medical and family leave but is an unpaid leave of absence, there is no federal law specifically designated for family and medical leave. The FMLA entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for qualifying family and medical reasons and requires continuation of their group health benefits under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Many states, therefore, have enacted their own paid family and medical leave laws, and Spanberger has stated that Virginia is the first southern state to provide paid family and medical leave. Other states with PFML laws include California, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Washington, with others scheduling programs to begin soon.
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