As previously communicated, on April 7, 2008 New Jersey passed into law a bill that will provide payments to workers taking leave to care for dependent family members.

The bill amends New Jersey’s Temporary Disability Benefits Law (TDBL) such that, commencing July 1, 2009, employees taking “family temporary disability leave” shall be eligible to apply to the state for up to six weeks of disability benefit payments. Although the amendment does not grant any new entitlement to take family leave, the amendment now grants employees up to six weeks of payments during a qualifying leave to care for a seriously ill family member, or a newborn or newly adopted child.

Employee contributions will fund family temporary disability benefits. Beginning January 1, 2009, employees will contribute 0.09% of their wages to a Division account earmarked to pay for such benefits and actual payment of these benefits under the law will commence on July 1, 2009.

HOW DOES THIS EFFECT YOU AS AN EMPLOYER?
To date, the Department has only issued proposed regulations under the Paid Family Leave Law, with final regulations being provided in early December.

However with payroll deductions for New Jersey's Paid Family Leave Law commencing on January 1, 2009, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development has issued a notice of rights regarding the law, which employers are required to post at each New Jersey workplace, in a place or places that are accessible to all employees, by December 15, 2008.

Further, employers must distribute a copy of the notice to each New Jersey employee by December 15, 2008, either in hard copy or electronic form.

Thereafter, the notice must be provided to:

1. New employees at the time of hire
2. Whenever an employee informs the employer that he/she is taking time off for a reason covered by the new law
3. Upon any first request from an employee

Electronic delivery of this notice will meet the requirement.

WHAT SHOULD I DO NEXT?
If you are a New Jersey employer, you will want to make sure you have posted and distributed the required notice to all employees by the December 15, 2008 deadline.

• CLICK HERE for a copy of the required Employee Notice
• CLICK HERE for a copy of the required Employee Poster
• CLICK HERE for more information from the State of New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development's website