Governor Kathy Hochul has ushered in the new year with boosts to workers’ compensation and Paid Family Leave (PFL) benefits. These changes are aimed at benefiting employee welfare and easing business operations. Starting immediately, the minimum weekly benefit for workers’ compensation, and the maximum weekly benefit for PFL will see an upward revision. Simultaneously, employers will see a reduction in the workers’ compensation assessment rate.

The New Yorker workers will now have less expenditure anxieties when they decide to take time off for a new family addition or to care for a sick relative. In addition, this change also seeks to assure businesses of affordable operations. Eligible employees under the adjusted New York State Paid Family Leave will now have up to 12 weeks of paid, job-secured leave. This may be used to bond with a new child, assist a family member in poor health, or help relatives of someone actively deployed abroad on military service.

The benefits to New Yorkers taking PFL may total to $14,127.84 — this is up from over $300 from the previous year. The policy is such that employees taking PFL receive 67% of their average weekly wage, up to a maximum of 67% of the prevailing New York State Average Weekly Wage (NYSAWW) which stands at $1,757.19 for the current year.

There have also been changes to the workers’ compensation. As of the start of January, the minimum weekly benefit for workers’ compensation rose to $325. This is an increase from $275 from the previous year. The intention of subsequent annual increases is to ensure a more equitable distribution to injured workers.

Overall, these changes are also aimed at reducing the financial strain on businesses. Since January 1st, the workers’ compensation assessment rate for employers stands at 7.1% of the standard premium or premium equivalent. This is an impressive 22% decrease from 2024, projected to save about $191 million for New York State businesses.

For more detailed information on New York State Paid Family Leave, you can visit the official site at PaidFamilyLeave.ny.gov. Information about worker’s compensation and its benefits can be found on the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board’s website at wcb.ny.gov.

For additional inquiries, it might be beneficial to understand how to contact Paid Family Leave. This can be achieved through various methods, one of them being through eddcaller.com. This platform provides useful, detailed steps on connecting with customer service representatives. Irrespective of the nature of your query, be it about Paid Family Leave or other related matters, the site has comprehensive assistance, mapped out to walk you through the process. Having the right contacts is always a good start to resolving any issues or getting further clarifications you may need.