Paid parental leave for federal employees - when would it begin?

[Anonymous]

I stayed a contractor while DH and I were building our family because companies in the private sector have paid maternity leave. I'm a fed now, and our family is complete, but this is great for federal employees!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paid FMLA for feds would also have covered other caregiving--everyone who needs time off to care for a parent, or a very sick child, for example. So overall this is a pretty limited and sort of discriminatory "benefit"

There is an emergency leave bank. Not to mention, sick and annual leave can be used. I’ve actually met a Fed who needed leave to take off to care for a parent or sick kid and couldn’t cover it. Maternity has been a different story.

There are also STD and LTD policies.

Yep we can use the leave bank for sick family or emergencies but not maternity. The head of HR is a close friend of mine and she said the biggest reason it can’t be used for maternity is that the leave bank would be completely out of leave too fast. She said very few people had enough leave to cover maternity

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i'm not going to lie that's its hard for me that I'm missing this by four months. so much money and time off I can't save.

I'm sorry PP. Also missing by less than a year and trying not to go crazy calculating what i could do if I didn't have to budget for LWOP (e.g. half the closing costs on a house, which we decided not to buy yet in part because of the pregnancy). I am glad this policy is passing but I think we don't have to act unreservedly happy about the somewhat arbitrary and sudden timing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i'm not going to lie that's its hard for me that I'm missing this by four months. so much money and time off I can't save.

I'm sorry PP. Also missing by less than a year and trying not to go crazy calculating what i could do if I didn't have to budget for LWOP (e.g. half the closing costs on a house, which we decided not to buy yet in part because of the pregnancy). I am glad this policy is passing but I think we don't have to act unreservedly happy about the somewhat arbitrary and sudden timing.

Just try not to think about it too much. I rejoined the feds immediately after the switch to FERS-FRAE and missed the vesting at the old rate by like 6 months. Now I forever have to pay 3% more than everyone else at my agency, and nobody in HR or my bosses realize this when it comes to my total comp/promotion/bonuses, because my department very very rarely hires, and basically never hires people without a ton of previous fed experience.

[Anonymous]

FYI the Senate is supposed to vote on cloture on Monday (5:30 pm). I'm so so anxious about this lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paid FMLA for feds would also have covered other caregiving--everyone who needs time off to care for a parent, or a very sick child, for example. So overall this is a pretty limited and sort of discriminatory "benefit"

There is an emergency leave bank. Not to mention, sick and annual leave can be used. I’ve actually met a Fed who needed leave to take off to care for a parent or sick kid and couldn’t cover it. Maternity has been a different story.

There are also STD and LTD policies.

Yep we can use the leave bank for sick family or emergencies but not maternity. The head of HR is a close friend of mine and she said the biggest reason it can’t be used for maternity is that the leave bank would be completely out of leave too fast. She said very few people had enough leave to cover maternity

Correct. Leave bank is for medical emergencies. You can only use it during maternity if it's to cover a medical event - say you have a complication from the birth and you need follow up surgery. OB has to sign paperwork and give specific info on the medical issue and procedure.

[Anonymous]

My dad today: "I don't want to intrude on your private life, but remember, this is effective *after a certain date*, eh?"

[Anonymous]

The US taxpayer should not pay for your maternity leave or child care. Go private employer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The US taxpayer should not pay for your maternity leave or child care. Go private employer.

Federal employees literally work FOR the US taxpayer. Why shouldn't they benefit from paid leave that other Americans in private sector receive? Because you hate the government and feds? Get over yourself.

[Anonymous]

So what I’ve been hearing is this will only be for babies born October and later? So let’s say you have a baby in July, you couldn’t take leave starting in October? I’m seriously bummed for myself, but happy for those that will follow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The US taxpayer should not pay for your maternity leave or child care. Go private employer.

How does it cost anything? You were already paying the salary. It’s not like they’re hiring a temp to cover the work. They just share the work between the other employees

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The US taxpayer should not pay for your maternity leave or child care. Go private employer.

How does it cost anything? You were already paying the salary. It’s not like they’re hiring a temp to cover the work. They just share the work between the other employees

Having a baby is a choice and The rest of us should not be paying for you to stay home. You are hired as a Fed to perform a job and if you are on maternity leave then you are goldbricking at the expense of the taxpayers. Also, not every private employer gives paid maternity leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The US taxpayer should not pay for your maternity leave or child care. Go private employer.

How does it cost anything? You were already paying the salary. It’s not like they’re hiring a temp to cover the work. They just share the work between the other employees

Before this ridiculous law passed, you didn’t get paid when you weren’t working. Now you do. The fact that you don’t understand this explains why you’re a fed.

[Anonymous]

Do feds also get paid disability leave? Or just this 12 weeks?

Either way as someone in a private sector job with a lot of fed crossover, I'm excited other moms will get this and hope that it pushes related private companies to match it or exceed it. My company only offers six weeks paid + some short-term disability and this would be an incentive for me to return to government.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Paid FMLA for feds would also have covered other caregiving--everyone who needs time off to care for a parent, or a very sick child, for example. So overall this is a pretty limited and sort of discriminatory "benefit"

There is an emergency leave bank. Not to mention, sick and annual leave can be used. I’ve actually met a Fed who needed leave to take off to care for a parent or sick kid and couldn’t cover it. Maternity has been a different story.

There are also STD and LTD policies.

Yep we can use the leave bank for sick family or emergencies but not maternity. The head of HR is a close friend of mine and she said the biggest reason it can’t be used for maternity is that the leave bank would be completely out of leave too fast. She said very few people had enough leave to cover maternity

Correct. Leave bank is for medical emergencies. You can only use it during maternity if it's to cover a medical event - say you have a complication from the birth and you need follow up surgery. OB has to sign paperwork and give specific info on the medical issue and procedure.

Incorrect- there is no across the board policy and it varies by agency. Many will let you use leave bank for at least the first 6-8 weeks for a standard birth if you don’t have enough leave to cover it and some will allow more than that.