New York has amended its sick leave law (Labor Law § 196-b) to provide paid prenatal personal leave to all employees. Effective January 1, 2025, all employers shall be required to provide their employees with 20 hours of paid prenatal personal leave per 52-week period. Prenatal personal leave is leave taken by an employee “during their pregnancy or related to such pregnancy,” including for physical examinations, medical procedures, monitoring and testing, and discussions related to pregnancy with a health care provider. Prenatal personal leave may be taken in hourly increments.
Unlike overlapping leaves that run concurrently, prenatal personal leave is in addition to the paid or unpaid sick leave already required by New York law. Moreover, unlike sick leave currently required in New York, an employee qualifies for paid prenatal personal leave immediately upon hire. Read on for more information in this blog post.