Paid Parental Leave Regulations Coming Soon

OPM said in a recent memo that it will be issuing regulations to outline how the new paid parental leave benefit will work.

The Office of Personnel Management said in a short memo issued last week that the necessary regulations to implement the new paid parental leave benefit recently signed into law will be coming soon.

The new benefit is set to take effect on October 1, 2020 which OPM noted in the memo. That leaves time for OPM to issue the necessary guidance anytime a new benefit such as this is implemented. These regulations are what will spell out exactly how the new paid parental leave benefit will work for federal employees who utilize it. We will continue to keep you updated as new details are released by OPM.

A copy of OPM’s memo is included below.

December 27, 2019

MEMORANDUM FOR: HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES
From: DALE CABANISS, DIRECTOR
Subject: Paid Parental Leave for Federal Employees

On December 20, 2019, President Donald J. Trump signed into law a major improvement in the compensation and benefits package for Federal civilian employees as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020. 

The Act provides up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child for employees covered by Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provisions applicable to Federal civilian employees. 

The new law applies to leave taken in connection with a birth or placement occurring on or after October 1, 2020.  The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will issue necessary regulations and guidance to implement this legislation. 

Additional Information 

Agency headquarters-level human resources offices may contact OPM at pay-leave-policy@opm.gov.  Employees should contact their agency human resources office for further information on this memorandum.

About the Author

Ian Smith is one of the co-founders of FedSmith.com. He has over 20 years of combined experience in media and government services, having worked at two government contracting firms and an online news and web development company prior to his current role at FedSmith.