MA Paid Family & Medical Leave Alert | Exemption Renewals for MA Paid Leave Private Plan

In accordance with the MA Paid Leave law, employers are able to secure a private plan, insured or self-funded, and be exempt from participating in the public plan.

Employers that have been approved for an exemption are not required to make contributions into the MA Family and Employment Security Trust Fund. These exemption approvals are due to expire on September 30, 2020.

If your exemption for an insured plan has already been approved, you may have recently received an email regarding your exemption status from the Department of Family and Medical Leave stating that your exemption will not expire in September and it has automatically been extended through December 31, 2020. The email contains links, one referencing “guidance on renewing your private plan exemption” but leads to the application page. This has led to confusion. Please be assured, if you have an approved extension for an insured private plan, no action is required at this time.

Why has the Department granted an automatic extension for insured plans? The extension allows the Department additional time to review and approve the actual policies that will be used for private plans. As a result of this delay, the Department is not yet ready to allow employers to renew their exemptions for plans. Once all policies are approved, the Department will open the exemption process, which may be prior to the November 30, 2020 date included in the email. The renewal process is expected to be simplified for employers using approved plans (no lengthy questionnaire). Once it is ready, we will notify you with an outline of how to renew your exemption.

If you received a notice regarding your exemption for a self-insured plan, you will need to renew your exemption prior to September 30, 2020. You can renew your exemption through your PFML account within the MassTaxConnect portal. You will need a copy of your bond and the self-insured plan declaration.

If you have not applied for an exemption and are interested in exploring how a private plan can help your organization, the next approval date is October 1, 2020. To take advantage of this exemption period you would want to submit your application 10 business days in advance.

In the meantime, your OneDigital team members are available to discuss any questions you may have regarding MA PFML. Our next presentation on Paid Leave will on September 9th from 3:00 - 4:00 PM. We look forward to having you join us for that discussion.