DC Paid Family Leave

Gallaudet University is subject to the District of Columbia’s Paid Family Leave (DC PFL) law, which allows covered employees to receive paid time off for qualifying parental, family, and medical events. For more information about Paid Family Leave, please visit the Office of Paid Family Leave’s website at dcpaidfamilyleave.dc.gov.

Covered Workers In order to receive benefits under the Paid Family Leave program, you must have worked for an employer in DC before you experienced a covered event. Your employer should have reported your wages to the Department of Employment Services and paid taxes based on the wages they paid to you. To find out if you are a covered worker, you can ask your employer or contact the Office of Paid Family Leave.

Covered Events There are four (4) kinds of events for which you may be eligible for Paid Family Leave benefits. Each kind of leave has its own eligibility rules and its own limit on the length of time you can receive benefits in a year. 

• Parental Leave: Up to 12 weeks to bond with a new child.

• Family Leave: Up to 6 weeks to care for a family member with a serious health condition.

• Medical Leave: Up to 10 weeks to care for your own serious health condition.

• Prenatal Leave: Up to 2 weeks to receive medical care related to pregnancy.

Regardless of the number of qualifying events, employees may generally receive a combined maximum of 12 weeks of D.C. Paid Family Leave benefits within a 52-week benefit period. An exception applies to eligible employees who combine prenatal and parental leave, allowing up to 14 weeks of benefits.

Applying for Benefits If you have experienced an event that may qualify for parental, family, or medical leave benefits, you can learn more about applying for benefits with the Office of Paid Family Leave at dcpaidfamilyleave.dc.gov.

Benefit Amount Paid Family Leave benefits are based on the wages your employer paid to you and reported to the Department of Employment Services. If you believe your wages were reported incorrectly, you have the right to provide proof of your correct wages. To obtain an estimation of your weekly benefits, please visit the DC PFL website.

Employee Protection The Paid Family Leave program does not provide job protection to you when you take leave and receive Paid Family Leave benefits. However, you may be protected against actions taken by your employer that are harmful to you if those actions were taken because you applied for or claimed Paid Family Leave benefits. When these harmful actions were taken because you applied for or claimed Paid Family Leave benefits, they are known as “retaliation.” IF you believe you have been retaliated against, you may file a complaint with the DC Office of Human Rights (OHR), which receives complaints at the following web address: www.ohr.dc.gov.

Approval Notice If you are approved to receive benefits from DC PFL, Human Resources and your manager will receive the notification. While receiving benefits, you will be placed on Leave Without Pay. You will be responsible for paying your portion of the insurance premiums, including health insurance, while on LWOP. If you have questions about this, please submit a case through ServiceNow.

The DC Paid Family Leave Notice is available here. 

For more information about Paid Family Leave, please visit the Office of Paid Family Leave’s website at dcpaidfamilyleave.dc.gov, call 202-899-3700, or email does.opfl@dc.gov.