Where FMLA and State Paid Family and Medical Leave Laws Intersect: Employer Challenges, Compliance Strategies

This CLE webinar will examine the compliance challenges facing employers where the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) intersects with state paid family and medical leave (PFML) laws and offer best practices for guiding employers through this evolving regulatory landscape. The panel will discuss areas where FMLA and PFML laws may differ—e.g., employee eligibility, qualifying reasons, and job protection—and how these may impact employer obligations. The panel will also provide compliance strategies for employers.

An increasing number of states have enacted or are soon to enact some form of either mandatory or voluntary paid family and medical leave laws. Employers who are subject to any of these laws as well as FMLA face compliance challenges since there are key differences between the federal and state laws including eligibility thresholds, qualifying reasons for taking leave, and whether an employee's job is protected. 

Additionally, employers must be aware of how their compliance obligations may be impacted such as whether the types of leave may run concurrently; when leave may be designated as FMLA leave; and whether and when they can require employees to "substitute" or use accrued employer-provided paid leave benefits as was addressed by the DOL-WHD in a 2025 opinion letter.

Listen as our authoritative panel examines the compliance challenges facing employers where the FMLA intersects with PFML laws and offers best practices for guiding employers through this evolving regulatory landscape.