Washington State’s new Paid Family and Medical Leave law (PFML) went into effect on January 1, 2020; that’s one year before Massachusetts benefits kick in. In the first three weeks of the program, over 22,000 individuals applied for benefits; this was the amount Washington officials expected to see in the first three months . This has led to delays in payments as the processing timeline has moved from 2 weeks to 30 or more days.

Another takeaway from Washington's program is the breakdown of applications for claims:

  • 54% of total applications are for bonding with a new child.
  • 25% are for someone dealing with a serious health condition.
  • 12% are for caring for a family member with a serious health condition.
  • The balance is for pregnancy-related medical leave or family leave for military families.