Virginia's New Paid Leave Program Covers Domestic Violence
To Kathy Anderson, executive director of Empowerhouse, it's an acknowledgement of the enormous upheaval domestic violence causes in the lives of survivors.
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
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Legislation signed into law by Gov. Abigail Spanberger last month will allow paid leave for workers dealing with domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault.
To Kathy Anderson, executive director of Empowerhouse—which provides confidential domestic violence assistance to the Fredericksburg region—the legislation is an important acknowledgement of the gravity of these crimes and the upheaval they cause.
“I really see this as a way for people to keep their jobs and a way for our community to acknowledge what an unexpected disruption domestic violence is,” Anderson said.
Senate Bill 2, introduced by Jennifer Boysko, requires the Virginia Employment Commission to establish a paid family and medical leave insurance program to begin April 1, 2028. It will be funded through payroll contributions by employees, and will allow employees to take up to three months paid leave at 80% of their salary, including up to four weeks for “safety services.”
As defined by the bill, “safety services” includes attending civil and criminal court proceedings; seeking and receiving medical treatment, recovery services, and/or mental health services; and relocation related to or caused by “domestic violence, pervasive harassment, sexual assault, or stalking.”
The paid leave will allow a survivor time to transition out of a dangerous situation, which often means physically leaving their home, without the added burden of worrying about missing work or losing pay, Anderson said.
“It really just stops you in your tacks when you have to figure out all things you need to figure out, in addition to worrying about where you’re going to sleep and how you’re going to care for your children, and what your ultimate decision is going to be,” she said. “Sometimes people are not initiating that change themselves, but maybe somebody else called law enforcement, and now all of a sudden there are a number of things in motion that you don’t have any control over.”
Thanks to the new legislation, survivors will be able to take time off work to deal with these matters, just as they might be able to for any other family emergency, Anderson said.
The Virginia Employment Commission will start work on building out the new paid leave program this year.
According to the National Partnership for Women and Families, as reported by Axios, about 91% of Virginia’s private sector workforce, or about 3.2 million people, will be eligible for the program.
“With Virginia’s passage, nearly fifty million workers nationwide would be able to access leave under a state paid family and medical leave program,” the NPWF reported. “Including Virginians, more than one-third of private sector workers across the United States (35 percent) would be able to take paid family and medical leave through a state program when the need arises, marking a major milestone for the entire country.”
According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, Virginia now joins 13 other states and the District of Columbia in enacting mandatory paid family leave programs.
Virginia is the only southern state with a mandatory program.
Empowerhouse operates a free, 24/7, confidential hotline in English and Spanish, providing information and assistance. Call 540/373-9373 or toll free 877/734-7238.
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