The D.C. Department of Employment Services (DOES) has issued a new Paid Family Leave notice/poster. This notice must be posted in a “conspicuous place”, such as where the employer posts employment-related information, and must be provided to employees, on or before February 1, 2024.

The new notice, effective October, 2023, is identical to the previous notice, which was issued in October 2022, except that the maximum weekly benefit has increased. The new maximum weekly benefit is $1,118. From October 2022 to October 2023, the maximum weekly benefit was $1,049.  

Under the Universal Paid Leave Act, DOES is directed to adjust the maximum weekly benefit amount annually, to take effect on October 1 of each successive year. The maximum weekly benefit increases in proportion to the annual average increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers for the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area, as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the previous calendar year. The increase takes effect as long as the Chief Financial Officer of D.C. certifies that funds are sufficient in the Universal Paid Leave Fund each year to cover the maximum weekly benefit.

Employers should ensure that they post this notice and provide it to employees before February 1, if they haven’t already. Jackson Lewis attorneys are available to assist employers to comply with this complicated law.