New information clarifies which federal employees are and are not currently covered by the new paid parental leave benefit.
According to the American Federation of Government Employees, TSA screeners will be included in the new paid parental leave benefit. However, TSA employees who are not screeners are currently excluded.
Additionally, AFGE said that Title 38 employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs were initially left out, but the VA now says that all of its employees (including Title 38 employees) will be covered.
Congress passed the new paid parental leave benefit as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. It will provide 12 weeks of paid leave for both mothers and fathers of newborns, newly adopted children or foster children.
Shortly after the law was passed, however, it was announced that some federal employees were excluded from the paid parental leave benefit, most notably some federal employees at the Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Security Administration.
A bill recently introduced in the Senate would ensure that federal employees currently excluded would be covered under the new paid parental leave regulation. The Federal Employee Parental Leave Technical Correction Act (S. 3104) was introduced by Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
The Office of Personnel Management said that it is currently working on regulations necessary to implement the new benefit which is set to go into effect on October 1, 2020.
