Washington State Family Leave

Knixon

Beginning in January 2003, Washington state law will require that employers allow employees on family leave to use their accrued sick leave when caring for a sick child. Our company has a short term disability plan instead of "accrued" sick leave. Will this law apply to us?

Don D

Hello Knixon. I notice nobody has replied regarding your new state law. I certainly don't know the answer, but, my guess that it will not trigger your short term disability plan. Family member illness does not exactly mix with such a plan so I doubt the state will require that. Having taken all that time to say I don't know, I suggest you contact whichever division of state government is implementing that requirement. If you have a Department of Labor, which we do not, maybe they are the ones. Good luck. Let us know.

Pork

Dandy Don has done it again and beat me to your posting, he must not have much to do since he has got everyone soooo well organized while he gives out normally good and right advise. Our Medical leave policy is our short term disability policy; it is self funded and not administered by an outside source. It is I! we require all employees on FMLA to use the first two weeks of the 12 total weeks as a waiting period and force the employee to use the leave and sick time to get a check of some amount. That allows then for the payroll deduct of the weekly medical coverage premium. If the employee has used up all their vacation and sick time then it is a two week period with no pay due and we pay the premium and adjust the payroll deduction upward to incorporate the premium owed over the next 10 weeks. Washington State is, therefore, mandating what we are already doing in our company based on our policy. It works for us and it does not present a major problem! Good luck and send us some of that wonderful rain we are drowning in our sweat. "Hurricane is a coming do da, do da"!