Oregon governor Tina Kotek signed a law amending Oregon’s Family Leave Act (OFLA) to reduce redundancies between OFLA and Paid Leave Oregon (PLO). These changes take effect July 1, 2024.

OFLA applies to employers that have twenty-five or more total employees and currently provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid protected leave for the following reasons:

• For the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child.
• For an employee’s own serious health condition, or to care for a family member (an employee’s spouse, domestic partner, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, or a person related to the employee by affinity) with a serious health condition.
• For pregnancy disability before or after birth of a child or for prenatal care.
• To care for a child with an illness or injury that requires home care but is not a serious health condition, including to care for a child whose school or childcare provider has closed due to a public health emergency.
• To grieve, make arrangements for, or attend the family member’s funeral or memorial service.

PLO applies to employers that have at least one employee in Oregon and provides up to 12 weeks of paid leave for baby bonding, for one’s own serious health condition, to care for a family member with a serious health condition or to address matters related to domestic violence. An additional 2 weeks of leave is available for limitations relating to pregnancy or childbirth. See prior Benefit Beat articles here, here, and here.

Beginning July 1, 2024, OFLA may only be taken for the following reasons:

• For pregnancy disability before or after the birth of a child or for prenatal care. 
• To care for a child with an illness or injury (either home care or a serious health condition).
• To care for a child whose school or childcare provider has closed due to a public health emergency.
• For bereavement after the death of a family member (up to a total of four weeks per year).

From July 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024, OFLA will also provide up to two additional weeks of leave to facilitate the legal processes required for placement of a foster child or adoption. This leave will be available through PLO beginning January 1, 2025.

Additionally, beginning July 1, 2024, employees on PLO leave will be entitled to use any employer-offered paid leave accruals to supplement their PLO benefits up to the employees’ full wage replacement. Employers will retain discretion over whether to allow employees to use additional paid leave exceeding his/her full wage replacement.

Effective July 1, 2024, leave taken under OFLA is in addition to, and may not be taken concurrently with, any leave taken under PLO.

The information contained in this Benefit Beat is not intended to be legal, accounting, or other professional advice, nor are these comments directed to specific situations. This information is provided as general guidance and may be affected by changes in law or regulation. This information is not intended to replace or substitute for accounting or other professional advice. You must consult your own attorney or tax advisor for assistance in specific situations. This information is provided as-is, with no warranties of any kind. CBIZ shall not be liable for any damages whatsoever in connection with its use and assumes no obligation to inform the reader of any changes in laws or other factors that could affect the information contained herein.