Demand for Colorado’s paid-family and medical leave 44% less than expected
The work perk of getting paid while taking time off to care for one's health or that of a family member hasn't been as popular as expected, according to the data from the first six months of
"Demand is proving to be lower than projected as Coloradans continue to learn about the program. We're taking this into consideration, as we continue our outreach and education efforts to ensure workers know they now have access to this new benefit," Marshall said in an email.
FAMLI is a social insurance program offering some income to workers on unpaid federal leave. Workers can tap the benefit to bond with a new child, care for themselves or a family member's serious health condition, arrange for a family member's military deployment or address safety issues stemming from domestic violence or sexual assaults.
Though voters approved the program as part of a 2020 ballot initiative, it's still not well known, said
"Based on our conversations with small business owners in
All employers in
As of
"Our fund is strong and at no risk of running out of money," Marshall said.
Who opted out of FAMLI
There are 1,321 local governments that voted to opt out of the plan, which is about an 86% decline rate. Many in this group — which includes any city, town, school or special district — said they already had a plan or the cost of FAMLI was too high.
Another 5,155 employers are on one of the 20 private plans approved by the state. That's about 2.4% of employers.
Many said they have similar or better programs in place for their workers. The deadline to opt out is March 31.Employees of local governments that opted out and the self-employed can still participate in FAMLI by paying the premiums. Federal workers aren't eligible.
The loss of local governments and companies with private plans could "pose some risk to the solvency of the program," according to the
However, the report noted that even with 100% of local governments opting out, the program would remain solvent through fiscal year 2032. And at a rate of 2.4% on private plans, that means the vast majority of private employers are participating.
It's the private employers that could be worrisome.
"Right now, we have no concerns about how local government participation or employers using private plans will impact future solvency. The first six months of the program are showing a surplus in funds," Marshall said.
The stats of FAMLI
As it is, there are now 219,222 private employers registered with FAMLI and roughly 3.2 million workers who are eligible.
As of
The benefit provides a weekly paycheck that is up to 90% of a worker's earnings for up to 12 weeks, or 16 weeks if there are childbirth complications. Benefits are capped at
When the employee wants to take paid leave, they must file a claim with the state agency, which manages the process and pays the benefit. The employer isn't responsible for paying employees during their leave but must pay health insurance premiums that are normally covered. Workers on leave must arrange to pay their share of health insurance in order to keep it.
In the first half of the year, the average leave was 53.3 days and the average weekly payment was
As seen in the chart below, there were more workers requesting medical leave to care for themselves than the traditional reason for parental leave of taking care of a new child.
"Based on what we're seeing in the first six months of the program, we're focusing now on making sure
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