Effective Jan. 1, employees may use sick leave or other paid time off for expanded purposes under the Washington State Family Care Act. Previously, the law required that an employer permit an employee to take accrued sick leave to care for the employee’s child.

Now, the employer must permit the employee to use accrued sick leave or other paid time off to care for the employee’s spouse, parent, parent-in-law or grandparent, in addition to a sick child.

An employer in this instance is anyone doing business in Washington State with one or more employees.

“Paid time off” includes vacations and any time off under a Paid Time Off (PTO) plan. It does not include compensation received under a short or long-term disability plan.

To prepare for the change in the law, employers are encouraged to review sick leave and paid time-off policies to determine the law’s impact on their policies.

For more information, call Washington Employer’s Association at (206) 392-1120 or (253) 627-4005.