Clarissa Rodriguez, chair and commissioner of the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board, announced that employees who take Paid Family Leave this year to care for a new child or ill family member could see an increase in their cash benefits. The maximum weekly benefit for the state’s Paid Family Leave program has risen to $1,151.16, reflecting a rise in average wages. Furthermore, employees will now contribute a smaller percentage of their gross wages each pay period towards the leave program.

Under New York’s Paid Family Leave law, workers can receive 67% of their average weekly pay for up to 12 weeks. The leave time can be utilized for bonding with a newborn, adopted, or foster child, caring for a family member with a serious health condition, assisting family during a spouse or parent’s military deployment, and during a COVID-19 quarantine order.

According to the state Department of Financial Services, more than 23,680 Paid Family Leave claims were paid on Long Island in 2022. The contribution rate for eligible employees was lowered this year based on calculations by the Department of Financial Services. The overall cost of claims was estimated to be lower than the previous year.