The bill amends the General Laws in Chapter 28-41, which pertains to Temporary Disability Insurance — Benefits, by revising the weekly benefit rate and dependents’ allowances for individuals who are temporarily unemployed due to sickness. The benefit rate is adjusted to 4.62% of the highest wages in the base period's quarter, with a cap at 85% of the average weekly wage, and the maximum weekly benefit is rounded up to the nearest dollar. The dependents’ allowance is increased to the greater of twenty dollars ($20.00) or 7% of the individual's benefit rate for each dependent child, up to a maximum of five dependents. The bill also updates the provisions for temporary caregiver benefits, including a notification requirement for employees to inform their employers of their intent to take leave, a prohibition on claiming both temporary caregiver and temporary disability benefits simultaneously, and an extension of the duration of temporary caregiver benefits from four to eight weeks by 2026. Additionally, it clarifies the range of chapters applicable to the provisions by changing the language from "42 — 44" to "42 through 44" and "39 — 41" to "39 through 41."

Furthermore, the bill outlines that individuals cannot receive a combined total of temporary caregiver and temporary disability benefits exceeding thirty times their weekly benefit rate within any benefit year. It guarantees employees the right to return to their original or an equivalent position after taking temporary caregiver leave and requires employers to maintain health benefits during the leave. The bill also states that no individual is entitled to waiting period credit or temporary caregiver benefits for any week before January 1, 2014, and allows employers to require that temporary caregiver benefits be used concurrently with federal FMLA leave or Rhode Island parental and family medical leave. The maximum duration of temporary caregiver benefits is increased from six to eight weeks over two years, and the act will take effect on January 1, 2025. The summary does not mention any specific insertions or deletions from the current law.

Statutes affected:
7171  SUB A: 28-41-35
7171: 28-39-2, 28-40-1