Rutgers School of Public Health recently studied the impacts of New Jersey’s expansion of the Family Leave Insurance (FLI) program in 2019 and 2020. Their research found that the expanded program resulted in a substantial increase in the use of family leave benefits among state residents, with both the number of eligible claims and the duration of leave experiences a significant uptick. The expanded FLI program allows residents to claim up to 12 consecutive weeks of benefits to bond with a newborn or newly adopted/placed foster child, with a maximum benefit of 85% of the claimant’s wage. The legislation also introduces job protections and increased eligibility for those taking leave.

The policy brief, titled Progress in Increasing Access to Paid Family Leave in New Jersey: An Evidence-Based Strategy for Improving Maternal and Infant Health, outlines the improved paid family leave legislation and its positive effects on the state’s maternal and infant health. The research emphasizes the benefits of paid leave for pregnant women and their partners, including promoting breastfeeding and postpartum care and reducing postpartum depression risks.

NJ’s First Lady Tammy Murphy and Nurture NJ have also sought to improve maternal health in the state. Additional measures have been introduced to improve awareness of family leave benefits, including developing the Maternity Coverage Timeline Tool in 2022. This tool, developed in collaboration with the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOL) and the Office of Innovation, offers a personalized timeline estimate of benefit coverage periods. Anticipating and organizing parental leave has thus become easier for many families in New Jersey.

The First Lady commented that supporting mothers throughout pregnancy and early parenthood aligns with their mission of making New Jersey a safe and equitable place for childbirth and child-rearing. She took pride in the state’s significant increase in access to paid leave, which has proven vital for maternal and infant health in New Jersey.

Our footprint is getting larger in New Jersey, thanks to the addition of innovative resources like the Maternity Timeline Tool paired with our local outreaches through our CARE grant, commented Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo. The full policy brief detailing their results is available for read-through. This comprehensive study is part of Nursure NJ’s broader evaluation led by Leslie M. Kantor, Professor at the School of Public Health.

If you need information on how to get a hold of Paid Family Leave, eddcaller.com provides a database of contact options and tips for getting through to a live representative. The listed resources include phone numbers, email addresses, and the best call times to decrease waiting times, making it easier for you to reach out to Paid Family Leave regarding your queries or concerns.