PROVIDENCE, RI – In an effort to strengthen national family and medical leave policies, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressmen Jim Langevin and David Cicilline and Governor Lincoln D. Chafee announced today that the U.S. Department of Labor is awarding $161,417 to the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT) to fund a feasibility study on paid leave.   DLT will use the federal funds to study the effectiveness of the Rhode Island Temporary Caregiver Insurance Program and its benefits for Rhode Islanders, as well as the public’s awareness of the program.

Rhode Island, along with California and New Jersey have expanded their state disability insurance programs to cover family leave.  This federal grant will provide data and analysis to help Rhode Island develop best practices and allow other states to learn from Rhode Island’s experience with developing and implementing paid family and medical leave programs at the state level.

“Rhode Island is a national leader in providing working families with paid family and medical leave that gives them the flexibility to address their caregiving responsibilities while remaining in the workforce.  This is a win for families, workers, and businesses.  We are pleased the U.S. Department of Labor is awarding these funds to Rhode Island to help study the state’s program and ultimately help improve access to effective paid maternity and family leave for more Americans,” said Reed, Whitehouse, Langevin and Cicilline in a joint statement.

Governor Chafee said: “With both parents working in many Rhode Island families today, we decided that working mothers and fathers shouldn't have to face the anxiety about possibly losing their jobs if and when family emergencies arise.  That is why I signed the paid leave law in July of 2013, and I am pleased to see that it is a success.”

“Rhode Island's paid leave law was enacted in July of 2013 and implemented by the Department of Labor and Training in January of 2014,” said DLT Director Charles J. Fogarty.  “Families are using our Temporary Caregiver Insurance (TCI) program.  In August, our TDI division handled 468 TCI claims and for the year, we’ve handled 3,200.  Anecdotally, our front-line call center employees hear every day how much Rhode Islanders need and appreciate paid leave.  We look forward to using this grant money wisely to measure just how effective we think paid leave is.”

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 requires that employers with 50 or more employees provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for major life events such as birth, adoption or seriously ill family members, or their own health needs.  However, many workers are unable to take unpaid time off because they cannot afford to do so.  Paid leave programs have been shown to improve health outcomes for children, ill adults and seniors; reduce turnover and increase employee retention, which cuts down on training costs for businesses; keep workers attached to the labor force; and boost earnings over time.

For more information, visit http://www.dol.gov/paidleave.

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