Rhode Island recently passed legislation (RI H7171) increasing the maximum number of weeks a temporary caregiver can take under the state’s temporary caregiver insurance (TCI) program from six weeks to eight weeks over the next two years.
This legislation increases available leave to seven weeks beginning January 1, 2025, and to eight weeks beginning January 1, 2026.
An employee is eligible for TCI for any week when they cannot do their regular and customary work because they are:
- Bonding with a newborn or a newly placed child for adoption or foster care; or
- Caring for a child, a parent, parent-in-law, grandparent, spouse, or domestic partner with a serious health condition.
During the leave, an employee is eligible to receive TCI as a form of wage replacement benefits.
Next Steps
Before the effective date, employers should review and update their current TCI policy to ensure it reflects the increased leave amounts.
Best practices include providing training for human resource personnel and supervisors and managers who handle employee leave requests. This training should focus on reducing claims of interference or retaliation related to leave, maintaining confidentiality, ensuring required documentation is provided, and accurately designating time off.
Employers covered by federal Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) and Rhode Island Parental and Family Medical Leave (RI FMLA) should be aware of how TCI leave runs concurrently with FMLA leave. TCI leave must be offered when an employee does not qualify for FMLA.
How HR Works Can Help
Managing employee leaves of absence is overwhelming and the myriad of different laws can be extremely difficult to navigate, especially when leave is not your primary focus. The experts at HR Works can manage the complexities of compliance when it comes to all the changing state leave laws and more. To learn more about these services and how to leverage our compliance expertise and support, please contact us at info@hrworks-inc.com or call 1-877-219-9062.
