204. Disability and family leave during employment. 1. Disability benefits shall be payable to an eligible employee for disabilities, beginning with the eighth day of disability and thereafter during the continuance of disability, subject to the limitations as to maximum and minimum amounts and duration and other conditions and limitations in this section and in sections two hundred five and two hundred six of this article. Family leave benefits shall be payable to an eligible employee for the first full day when family leave is required and thereafter during the continuance of the need for family leave, subject to the limitations as to maximum and minimum amounts and duration and other conditions and limitations in this section and in sections two hundred five and two hundred six of this article. Successive periods of disability or family leave caused by the same or related injury or sickness shall be deemed a single period of disability or family leave only if separated by less than three months.
2. (a) The weekly benefit for family leave that occurs (i) on or after January first, two thousand eighteen shall not exceed eight weeks during any fifty-two week calendar period and shall be fifty percent of the employee's average weekly wage but shall not exceed fifty percent of the state average weekly wage, (ii) on or after January first, two thousand nineteen shall not exceed ten weeks during any fifty-two week calendar period and shall be fifty-five percent of the employee's average weekly wage but shall not exceed fifty-five percent of the state average weekly wage, (iii) on or after January first, two thousand twenty shall not exceed ten weeks during any fifty-two week calendar period and shall be sixty percent of the employee's average weekly wage but shall not exceed sixty percent of the state average weekly wage, and (iv) on or after January first of each succeeding year, shall not exceed twelve weeks during any fifty-two week calendar period and shall be sixty-seven percent of the employee's average weekly wage but shall not exceed sixty-seven percent of the New York state average weekly wage in effect. The superintendent of financial services shall have discretion to delay the increases in the family leave benefit level provided in subparagraphs (ii), (iii), and (iv) of this paragraph by one or more calendar years. In determining whether to delay the increase in the family leave benefit for any year, the superintendent of financial services shall consider: (1) the current cost to employees of the family leave benefit and any expected change in the cost after the benefit increase; (2) the current number of insurers issuing insurance policies with a family leave benefit and any expected change in the number of insurers issuing such policies after the benefit increase; (3) the impact of the benefit increase on employers' business and the overall stability of the program to the extent that information is readily available; (4) the impact of the benefit increase on the financial stability of the disability and family leave insurance market and carriers; and (5) any additional factors that the superintendent of financial services deems relevant. If the superintendent of financial services delays the increase in the family leave benefit level for one or more calendar years, the family leave benefit level that shall take effect immediately following the delay shall be the same benefit level that would have taken effect but for the delay. The weekly benefits for family leave that occurs on or after January first, two thousand eighteen shall not be less than one hundred dollars per week except that if the employee's wages at the time of family leave are less than one hundred dollars per week, the employee shall receive his or her full wages. Benefits may be payable to employees for paid family leave taken intermittently or for less than a full work week in increments of one full day or one fifth of the weekly benefit.
(b) The weekly benefit which the disabled employee is entitled to receive for disability commencing on or after May first, nineteen hundred eighty-nine shall be one-half of the employee's weekly wage, but in no case shall such benefit exceed one hundred seventy dollars; except that if the employee's average weekly wage is less than twenty dollars, the benefit shall be such average weekly wage. The weekly benefit which the disabled employee is entitled to receive for disability commencing on or after July first, nineteen hundred eighty-four shall be one-half of the employee's weekly wage, but in no case shall such benefit exceed one hundred forty-five dollars; except that if the employee's average weekly wage is less than twenty dollars, the benefit shall be such average weekly wage. The weekly benefit which the disabled employee is entitled to receive for disability commencing on or after July first, nineteen hundred eighty-three and prior to July first, nineteen hundred eighty-four shall be one-half of the employee's average weekly wage, but in no case shall such benefit exceed one hundred thirty-five dollars nor be less than twenty dollars; except that if the employee's average weekly wage is less than twenty dollars the benefit shall be such average weekly wage. The weekly benefit which the disabled employee is entitled to receive for disability commencing on or after July first, nineteen hundred seventy-four, and prior to July first, nineteen hundred eighty-three, shall be one-half of the employee's average weekly wage, but in no case shall such benefit exceed ninety-five dollars nor be less than twenty dollars; except that if the employee's average weekly wage is less than twenty dollars, the benefit shall be such average weekly wage. The weekly benefit which the disabled employee is entitled to receive for disability commencing on or after July first, nineteen hundred seventy and prior to July first, nineteen hundred seventy-four shall be one-half of the employee's average weekly wage, but in no case shall such benefit exceed seventy-five dollars nor be less than twenty dollars; except that if the employee's average weekly wage is less than twenty dollars the benefit shall be such average weekly wage. For any period of disability less than a full week, the benefits payable shall be calculated by dividing the weekly benefit by the number of the employee's normal work days per week and multiplying the quotient by the number of normal work days in such period of disability. The weekly benefit for a disabled employee who is concurrently eligible for benefits in the employment of more than one covered employer shall, within the maximum and minimum herein provided, be one-half of the total of the employee's average weekly wages received from all such covered employers, and shall be allocated in the proportion of their respective average weekly wage payments.
Last modified: February 3, 2019