Rutgers School of Public Health research found that New Jersey’s expansion of the Family Leave Insurance program in 2019 and 2020 was associated with a sharp increase in the use of family leave benefits among state residents.
Both the number of eligible claims and the duration of leave taken increased after the policy expansion among both women and men.The findings are based on an analysis of trends in the use of paid family leave benefits in New Jersey from 2014 to 2022. These findings are detailed in a new policy brief, “Progress in Increasing Access to Paid Family Leave in New Jersey: An Evidence-Based Strategy for Improving Maternal and Infant Health,” which highlights the positive impact of legislation signed by Governor Phil Murphy in 2019, which expanded the state’s paid family leave program.
Before the expansion, New Jersey residents were permitted to take six weeks of Family Leave Insurance to care for a newborn, with a maximum benefit of 66% of the claimant’s wage. Now, residents can take up to 12 consecutive weeks of Family Leave Insurance benefits to bond with a newborn, newly adopted, or newly placed foster child, and the maximum benefit was increased to 85% of wages. The legislation also added job protections and expanded eligibility to those who take leave. The legislation is part of the state government’s efforts to improve maternal health through First Lady Tammy Murphy’s Nurture NJ initiative, which seeks to ensure equity in maternal and infant health outcomes and to reduce overall maternal and infant mortality and morbidity throughout New Jersey. To read the full story.