Starting in 2025, Maryland workers may have an easier time making ends meet when they take otherwise unpaid leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Thanks to Maryland’s newly enacted Time to Care Act of 2022 (TTCA), Maryland workers will be able to apply for paid leave benefits from a state fund beginning on January 1, 2025.
As the TTCA will be phased in incrementally over the next two years, employers will have time to plan and prepare, become familiar with the TTCA’s benefits scheme, and project the potential additional costs that the TTCA will impose on them. Employers also may want to plan for the effect the TTCA may have on existing leave policies and bargaining agreements.
Guidance in the form of regulations from the Maryland Department of Labor is expected by June 1, 2023. In the meantime, answers to some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the TTCA are provided below.
Question 1. How does the Time to Care Act of 2022 work?
Answer 1. The TTCA creates a Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) Fund to provide up to twelve weeks of paid leave to covered individuals as part of a new FAMLI program. The state treasurer will be the custodian of the fund and will manage it according to regulations that will be promulgated by Maryland’s secretary of labor.
The TTCA’s benefits will be paid to eligible individuals directly by the state of Maryland. Individuals will need to submit applications to the state, which is required to notify...
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