Employees with a regular work schedule of less than 20 hours per week are eligible after 175 days worked.
In limited circumstances, employees whose regular work schedules are temporary, or seasonal may opt out of Paid Family Leave. If you are eligible to opt out of PFL coverage, AIM Services will provide such a waiver with other onboarding materials. Coverage can only be waived if the employee will not meet the minimum time worked requirements:
If you regularly work less than 20 hours per week and will not work 175 days in a year, or
If you regularly work 20 or more hours per week but will not be employed for 26 consecutive weeks.
If an employee waives coverage, they will not make contributions and will not be eligible for Paid Family Leave benefits. If an employee’s schedule changes such that they will meet the minimum requirements for eligibility, the waiver will automatically be revoked.
Please note that if you work for another employer, in addition to AIM Services, you may also be eligible to take PFL from both employers, albeit at the same time and for the same reason.
Covered Reasons
As noted above, eligible AIM Services employees may take PFL to bond with a child, care for a family member or when required by military exigency. The following provides more details regarding the three qualified reasons for PFL:
1. Bonding with a Child
Paid Family Leave must be used within the applicable 52-week period following the child's birth, adoption, or foster placement.
2. Care for a Family Member with a Qualifying Health Condition
An employee may take leave to care for a family member who has a qualifying health condition. Qualified types of care include physical care, emotional support, visitation, assistance in treatment, transportation, arranging for a change in care, assistance with essential daily living matters, personal attendant services and traveling to pick up medication. Ordinarily, conditions such as the common cold, the flu, earaches, upset stomach, minor ulcers, routine dental or orthodontia problems, periodontal disease, etc., do not meet the definition of a serious health condition for purposes of PFL.
For PFL family-care leave, an eligible family member may include the employee’s spouse, domestic partner, child or stepchild, parent or stepparent, parent-in-law, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling, as defined by New York law. The family member may live outside New York State or outside the United States.
3. Qualifying Military Exigency
Paid Family Leave is available when a spouse, child, domestic partner or parent of the employee is on active military duty abroad or has been notified of an impending call or order of active military duty abroad. Employees can take leave to help with obligations arising out of a call to duty, for example:
Making alternative childcare arrangements for a child of the deployed military member.
Attending certain military ceremonies and briefings; and
Making financial or legal arrangements to address the military member's absence.
Paid Family Leave, which provides wage replacement and job security, can be taken by employees who are also eligible for time off under the military provisions in the federal