Page 10 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2020 Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefit Program Launches for Eligible Workers in Massachusetts BOSTON – The Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML) today announced that workers eligible for Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) may begin fi ling certain benefi t requests on January 1, 2021, in accordance with legislation enacted in 2018. PFML provides temporary in~ FLASHBACK ~ The Beach City’s Popular Pols come replacement to eligible workers. Starting January 1, 2021, workers can apply for leave for welcoming a new child into their family, for their own serious health condition, and for certain military considerations. Starting July 1, 2021, workers can apply for leave to care for an ill or ailing relative. The program, which is off ered separately from the federal Family and Medical Leave Act and any employer-off ered leave, provides up to 20 weeks of paid leave per benefi t year to manage a serious personal health condition, up to 12 weeks to care for a family member or to bond with a child, and up to 26 weeks to care for a family member who is a member of the armed service. Beginning January 1, 2021, Massachusetts workers can apply for: • Medical leave due to their own serious health condition. Workers may take up to 20 weeks per year of paid leave to manage a serious health condition. • Family leave to bond with a child. Family leave can be taken by a parent or legal guardian to bond with a child during the fi rst 12 months after the child’s birth, adoption, or foster care placement. Eligibility for family leave used for bonding with a child is limited to the child’s parents or legal guardians; although certain other family members may be eligible to take family leave for caring for a child that has a serious medical condition. Workers who are parents or legal guardians may take up to 12 weeks of family leave to bond with a child. The annual 12-week maximum remains the same even if multiple childbirths, adoptions, or foster care placements occur in the same year. • Family leave to care for a family member with a serious health condition that relates to military service. Workers may take up to 26 weeks of family leave per year to care for a family member who is a current member of the Armed Forces, including the National Guard and Reserves, and who is: • Undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy for a serious health condition that was received or aggravated while the patient was deployed in a foreign country. • Being treated as an outpatient for a serious health condition that was received or aggravated while they were deployed in a foreign country. • On the temporary disability retired list for a serious injury or illness that happened while deployed in a foreign country. • On the temporary disability retired list for a serious injury or illness that existed before the beginning of the member’s active duty and was aggravated by service while deployed in a foreign country. • Family leave to manage any needs that occur immediately after a family member is deployed in a foreign country or has been notifi ed of an upcomBENEFIT | SEE Page 11 THOSE WERE THE DAYS: As we bid a fond farewell to Speaker of the House Bob DeLeo following his 30 years of service to Revere, we publish this photo of the former state rep here in the early days of his career with former US Rep. Ed Markey, the late City Councillors George Colella and John Jordan with former School Committeewoman Denise Salemme. Best wishes for a new year filled with health and happiness.
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