New york disability benefits law report

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2. First Symetra National Life Insurance Company Of New York
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4. Group life and disability insurance
5. New York Disability Benefits Law and Paid Family Leave

Group life and disability insurance

New York Disability Benefits Law and Paid Family Leave

New York’s state-mandated disability and family leave laws provide financial support to help employees take the time they need during critical points in their lives.

State-mandated benefits

New York Disability Benefits Law (NY DBL)

NY DBL provides partial income replacement for non-work related injuries or sickness, including pregnancy.

Employees are eligible to receive NY DBL benefits when one of the following criteria is met:

• Full-time employees: Employee has worked in New York for a covered employer for at least four consecutive weeks.
• Part-time employees: Employee has worked in New York for a covered employer for at least 25 days.

Benefits: NY DBL offers income replacement of 50% of an employee’s average wage up to a maximum weekly benefit of $170. After satisfying the 7-day waiting period, benefits are paid for a maximum of 26 weeks in a 52-week period. 1

New York Paid Family Leave (NY PFL)

NY PFL provides paid, job-protected leave for employees working in New York to take care of their loved ones.

NY PFL is designed to partially replace wages of employees who need to take family leave to:

• Care for a family member 2 with a serious health condition.
• Bond with a child during the first 12 months after birth, adoption or foster care placement.
• Care for a family member when a spouse, domestic partner, child or parent is deployed abroad on active military service.

Employees may be eligible to receive NY PFL benefits when the following criteria is met:

• Full-time employees: Employees are eligible after working for a covered employer for 20 or more hours per week for 26 consecutive weeks.
• Part-time employees: Employees working less than 20 hours per week are eligible after working 175 days for a covered employer.

Benefits: Effective Jan. 1, 2023, employees will receive 67% of their average weekly wage up to the maximum weekly benefit amount of $1,131.08. Eligible employees can take up to 12 weeks of paid leave in any 52-week period.

Contributions: This program is funded by payroll deductions from covered employees. Each year, the Department of Financial Services sets the employee contribution rate to match the cost of coverage. For 2023, the contribution rate is .455% of employees' weekly wages up to the annual taxable wage base of $87,785.88, to a maximum of $399.43 per year. 1

Note: Covered employees may not receive benefit payments under NY DBL and PFL simultaneously, but they can take NY DBL and NY PFL within the same 52-week period up to the maximum combined benefit leave duration of 26 weeks. To help employees understand the key differences between NY DBL and NY PFL, view our comparison chart (PDF).

First Symetra assumes no responsibility for the accuracy or timeliness of any information provided herein. The information contained herein is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice or a substitute for legal counsel. We recommend employers speak with legal counsel specializing in labor and employment law to ensure compliance with applicable state mandates. The information provided here is as of January 2023.

Next Steps

First Symetra offers a number of solutions to help you stay competitive in today's marketplace. To learn more, contact your benefits representative.

Group disability income insurance and Disability Benefits Law (DBL) policies are insured by First Symetra National Life Insurance Company of New York, NY. Mailing address: P.O. Box 34690, Seattle, WA 98124. Policies may be subject to exclusions, limitations, reductions and termination of benefit provisions.

1 The combined DBL and PFL maximum cannot exceed 26 weeks in a benefit year.

2 Defined as spouse, domestic partner, child/stepchild, sibling or anyone for whom the employee has legal custody, parent/step-parent/in loco parentis, parent-in-law, grandparent or grandchild.