The Oregon legislature has passed Senate Bill (SB) 1515, which proposes modifications to the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA) and Paid Leave Oregon. The bill, expected to be signed into law by Governor Tina Kotek, aims to eliminate redundancies between the OFLA and Paid Leave Oregon. Following the implementation of Paid Leave Oregon in 2023, it became apparent that many reasons for OFLA leave were now also covered under Paid Leave Oregon. To streamline the system, SB 1515 therefore removes many of the duplicate qualifying reasons for OFLA leave.

One significant change proposed by the bill is eliminating leave for the care of the employee’s own serious health condition, or that of a family member, as these are already covered by Paid Leave Oregon. SB 1515 also clarifies how employers can restrict employees’ use of paid time off (PTO) benefits while receiving wage-replacement benefits under Paid Leave Oregon.

OFLA leave, however, will continue to exist for those reasons not covered under Paid Leave Oregon. Examples include sick child leave and bereavement leave. Certain leave types like pregnancy disability leave will continue under OFLA, despite it also qualifying for leave under Paid Leave Oregon.

For a limited period until January 1, 2025, eligible employees will be able to take up to two extra weeks of OFLA leave in a year to complete the legal processes required for child adoption or foster placement. After this date, leave for this purpose will only be available under Paid Leave Oregon.

Throughout these changes, the bill maintains that employers covered under the FMLA can continue to require employees to take concurrent FMLA and Paid Leave Oregon or OFLA leave for any FMLA-qualifying reason.

In addition to these changes, SB 1515 also modifies Oregon’s predictive scheduling law in relation to instances where an employer has less than two weeks’ notice that an employee on OFLA or Paid Leave Oregon leave will return to work. In these cases, employers can modify the schedule of the employee covering the absent employee’s shifts without having to pay additional compensation under the predictive scheduling law.

As these changes get implemented, employers might need assistance in maneuvering through the new landscape. For support or any inquiries, you could consult eddcaller.com to get all employment-related services in one place. For instance, you can learn how to contact a live person at the edd in California for any questions regarding the state’s unemployment program. This online platform can help with other matters as well, from notifying the EDD of a change of address to dealing with complications in the benefit claim process.