Paid Family Leave (TCI)
Rhode Island was a leader in creating one of the nation’s first paid family leave programs – Temporary Caregiver Insurance (TCI) – which went into effect in January 2014. TCI provides up to four weeks of partial (about 60%) wage replacement to workers who need to take time from work to care for a seriously ill family member including a child, spouse, domestic partner, parent, parent-in-law or grandparent or to bond with a newborn child, adopted child or foster child. TCI also protects the worker’s job and seniority while the worker is out on leave. Legislation has been introduced this year to make improvements to TCI.
Paid Sick Leave
Rhode Island does not require paid sick leave for workers. Legislation introduced this year, “The Healthy and Safe Families and Workplaces Act” would allow workers to earn 1 hour of paid sick and safe time for every 30 hours they work. Workers could use paid sick and safe time to recover from illness, seek preventive care, take care of a sick family member or escape from domestic violence.