Ohio workers shouldn’t have to choose between their paycheck and their family.

No. FMLA provides unpaid leave only and excludes many workers. This proposal would provide paid leave, expanding access to the estimated 77% of Ohio workers who currently have no guaranteed paid leave.

The qualifying events for Ohio's paid family leave policy are similar to what is considered a qualifying event under FMLA. This includes, but is not limited to: 

• The birth, foster or adoption of a child
• Cancer treatment.
• Surgery and recovery.
• Heart conditions.
• Caring for aging parents or spouses.
• End-of-life care for a family member.

Both full-time and part-time employees would be eligible. Independent contractors and freelancers would be able to opt into the program if they choose to participate.

Eligible workers could receive:

• Up to 14 weeks of paid leave in a 12-month period.
• Up to 18 weeks total in rare cases where a second qualifying event occurs within the same year (for example, childbirth followed by a serious medical issue for the mom or baby).

Paid leave would vary based on wage levels in order to ensure lower- and middle-income workers could earn enough while on leave that they could afford to take it:

• Workers earning up to approximately $70,000 annually would receive up to 85% of their wages.
• Higher-income earners would receive a lower percentage with a capped maximum weekly benefit.

The wage reimbursement would be based on the wage, average hours per week and the average number of weeks worked in the previous year.

Employers will contribute 0.4% of payroll and employees will contribute 0.4% of their wages into a statewide fund. Employers with fewer than 15 employees would be exempt from the employer contribution while the employee would still contribute 0.4% and be eligible for the full benefit.

Yes. Once approved for leave, workers are guaranteed job protection which ensures they are able to return to their original position or an equivalent position. Workers are also able to maintain access to group health benefits.

Yes. Leave could be taken intermittently, which is especially important for:

• Ongoing medical treatments.
• Long-term caregiving responsibilities.

Contributions ensure income protection when life events happen, whether that is childbirth, cancer treatment, surgery or caring for an aging parent. The average worker has two caregiving episodes during their career.

As long as eligibility requirements and documentation are met, approval decisions would be handled by the state-administered program, not individual employers.

Employers that already offer paid leave have two options: They may switch to the state plan, or they may keep their existing paid leave benefit as long as it meets or exceeds state program requirements.

If an employer chooses the state plan, it covers as much as 85% of an employee’s wages. Employers may choose to supplement the benefit to bring the employee’s pay up to 100% of their wages.

The state program would pay wage replacement directly to the employee. Employers would retain the equivalent of the employee’s full wage during the leave period and may use those funds at their discretion (for temporary coverage, overtime, operational needs, etc.).

Yes. Employers may choose to top off state benefits so employees receive full wage replacement during leave.

14 states have passed mandatory Paid Family Leave programs: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington) and the District of Columbia. Some of these states are already providing benefits. Others will be rolling out benefits by 2028.