As readers of this blog know, on January 1, 2025, New York became the first state in the country to require a separate bank of paid leave specifically for prenatal healthcare services. The Paid Prenatal Leave (“PPL”) law guarantees 20 hours per year of paid leave for eligible employees to attend pregnancy-related healthcare appointments such as physical exams, medical procedures, monitoring/testing, pregnancy-related discussions with a health care provider, end of pregnancy care, and fertility treatments, including in vitro fertilization.

New York State has since released FAQs that provide much-needed clarification on the PPL law.

• Although the law broadly defines eligible employees as “all employees working for private-sector employers,” there is one important limitation. PPL is reserved for use only by the employee directly receiving prenatal healthcare services, meaning spouses, partners, and others are not entitled to utilized PPL to attend prenatal appointments with a pregnant employee.
• Eligible employees are automatically entitled to the full 20 hours of PPL each year, and new hires are entitled to the full amount of PPL on their first day of employment. PPL does not accrue, and employers cannot impose any minimum work requirements before PPL can be used.
• PPL is a stand-alone benefit, available in additiontoany existing leave options. Employees may choose to utilize paid sick leave instead of PPL for eligible prenatal care appointments, but they cannot be forced to...

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