State FAMLI program expands paid leave to all workers in 2024

Colorado’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program will provide all Colorado workers a portion of their weekly salary for up to 12 weeks of leave to care for themselves or their families, with an additional four weeks leave for pregnancy or childbirth complications. The FAMLI program will begin paying benefits Jan. 1, 2024.

Colorado voters in 2020 approved the creation of the FAMLI enterprise fund by passing Proposition 118. The measure is funded by employers and employees in a 50/50 split.

The legislation set the premium rate through 2025 at 0.9% of employees’ wages, with CU paying 0.45% and faculty and staff paying 0.45%. 

Colorado employers and employees will begin paying premiums Jan. 1, 2023. Classified staff employees will not contribute in 2023, as the state requires CU to pay classified staff employee premiums during 2023. The program does not apply to out-of-state employees.

Starting in 2024, individuals can use FAMLI leave to take time away from work to:

• care for a new child, including adopted and fostered children
• care for themselves or a family member if they have a serious health condition
• make arrangements for a family member’s military deployment
• address the immediate safety needs and impact of domestic violence and/or sexual assault

Colorado employees will become eligible to take paid leave after they have earned at least $2,500 in wages within the state over a one-year period. FAMLI provides paid job-protected leave once an employee has worked at their position for more than 180 days (about six months), as well as legal protections against retaliation. 

The state’s premium calculator can be used to estimate your paycheck deductions and benefits paid if you take leave under the state’s plan.

The law allows employers to substitute a private plan that offers the same or better benefits and protections as the state’s FAMLI program. Any plan must be reviewed and approved by the state’s FAMLI Division before it takes effect. State applications for private plan approval will open during the first quarter of 2023.

The university will examine self-insurance options to determine if this approach could result in lower costs while continuing to provide a robust paid leave package. The university will continue to share FAMLI program details and any updates. 

See the FAMLI webpage for additional information.