Why do Washington, DC and Rhode Island break your parental leave policy?

DC and Rhode Island, why can’t you just be cool?

You know that one friend who you won’t invite to dinner parties because they’re a vegetarian with gluten sensitivity who avoids dairy and is always trying to get you to join their Big Soy boycott?

They tell great stories, but you have no idea what to cook for them. 

And bringing them to a restaurant is mortifying.

That’s what it’s like when you bring Washington, DC and Rhode Island to a parental leave policy.

Most states have regulations that fall into a few easy categories:

❓Do you protect 12 weeks of leave, even if the company isn’t covered by FMLA? Yes/No

❓Do you have a state-paid program? Yes/No

❓Are disability protections: 

(A) covered under the same bank as bonding 

(B) separate and consecutive to bonding

🎰 This question is dealer’s choice: How do you define the benefit-year before the clock resets?

(A) a calendar year

(B) the fiscal year

(C) from the first day of leave

(D) a rolling 12-month period

And then Rhode Island and DC show up with their organic, sugar-free flan made with oat milk that takes up a cubic acre in the fridge and ruins it for everyone.

Because in DC and Rhode Island, family and medical leave protections are counted on a TWO year cycle.

In DC, you’re entitled to:

💣 12 weeks of PAY from the District within the first 12 months after birth or placement, but

💣 16 weeks of protections for bonding, available in a rolling 24 month period

💣 An additional 16 weeks for protected medical leave if you have a separate event, also within a rolling 24 month period

In Rhode Island, you’re entitled to:

💣 8 weeks of PAY from the state within the first 12 months after birth or placement, but

💣 13 weeks (why!) of job-protected leave in a 2-calendar-year period

💣 But intermittent leave isn’t covered and returning to work stops both clocks

Parsing and navigating the regulations in real life is manageable, but finding language that covers the RI and DC’s demands while also meeting other states’ requirements is torture to the English language. 

What comes out is a monstrosity of legalese, exceptions, and caveats.

It’s the company policy version of “everyone's eating gluten-free vegan tonight.”

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