A Better Balance’s campaign to reform New York’s Temporary Disability Insurance law
New York State has been a leader in worker protections in many ways. A Better Balance led the fight to pass the state’s Paid Family Leave program in 2016, which provides paid leave for New Yorkers welcoming new children or caring for loved ones. But our paid medical leave program, (also known as Temporary Disability Insurance or TDI) which supports New Yorkers who need time off work to recover from their own serious illness or injury, is lagging far behind.
New York’s paid medical leave program:
- Hasn’t been updated since 1989, when the cost of living was much lower
- Only provides a maximum of $170 per week of leave, regardless of how much a worker normally makes
- Doesn’t guarantee job protection during your leave, meaning you can be fired and lose your health insurance – even while hospitalized
- Doesn’t let workers take leave in intermittent blocks of time, meaning New Yorkers who need to take a day off here or there for chemotherapy or doctor’s appointments don’t have the right to do so
- Lags behind other states’ comprehensive paid leave programs that cover both family and medical leave, including our neighbors, Connecticut and New Jersey
Nobody should have to worry about struggling to pay bills or rent when serious illness or injury strikes. The Fix Paid Leave New York Coalition is calling on our state lawmakers to pass A9571/S172 and update Temporary Disability Insurance once and for all, because New Yorkers deserve a modern, comprehensive paid family and medical leave program.
“I put off taking the paid medical leave that I needed and was entitled to as long as I could, because I knew $170 a week wasn’t enough to live on.”
– Lee Taylor, New Yorker
New Yorkers who need time off work due to chronic illness, cancer, dialysis, pregnancy and post-birth recovery, injuries, and surgery – especially those in low-wage jobs without employer-provided paid leave, like retail and hospitality – are being left behind.
New Yorkers – get involved!
- Take action: Tell New York State leaders to pass A9571/S172.
- Share your story: Have you ever been denied the ability to take paid leave from work to attend to your own medical needs? Would you and your family benefit from a stronger paid medical leave program as a worker in New York State? Share your story with us here.
“That $170 was barely enough to support myself, let alone my two small children. The lack of support as I recovered from childbirth—an emergency C-section—was devastating for our finances.”
– Kolandro Bramble, New Yorker
Resources
Reports, fact sheets, and tools for policymakers:
- Report: The Time is Now: Building the Paid Family and Medical Leave New Yorkers Need
- Fact Sheet: Much Needed Reforms to New York’s TDI Program Will Benefit Small Businesses
- Fact Sheet: Building the Paid Family and Medical Leave New Yorkers Need Will Help Vulnerable Communities
- Fact Sheet: Temporary Disability Insurance: A Priority for Women in New York
- Fact Sheet: Know Your Rights: New York’s Temporary Disability Insurance Law
- Fact Sheet: New York’s Paid Medical Leave Program is Lagging Behind
- Technical Overview for Lawyers: New York State’s Temporary Disability Insurance Program
Calling for TDI reform in the media:
- Albany Times Union: Commentary: Could you live on $170 a week? That’s all paid medical leave offers – Op-Ed by A Better Balance and Citizen Action
- Empire Report: New York Must Catch Up on Paid Medical Leave – Op-Ed by Assemblymembers Harry Bronson and Michaelle Solages
- AMNY: Why New York must finally modernize disability benefits for workers in crisis – Op-Ed by Assemblymember Harry Bronson
- Empire Report: New York Has Generous Paid Leave. Just Not for the Person Who Is Actually Sick. – Op-Ed by Bobbie and MomsFirst
- City & State New York: New York should not force sick workers into poverty – Op-Ed by Senator Jessica Ramos
- Democrat & Chronicle: We can do more to retain New York’s workers. This is how – Op-Ed by Assemblymember Harry Bronson
- AMNY: Overhauling New York’s paid medical leave law would benefit small businesses – Op-Ed by Uncommon Goods CEO Dave Bolotsky and Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President Randy Peers
- Capitol Confidential with Dan Clark: New York hasn’t touched this literal cost of living issue in 36 years
- North Country Matters Podcast: North Country Matters Presents: A NYS Temporary Disability Insurance Update
- News10 ABC: Assembly pushed to update New York’s 1989 Temporary Disability Insurance
- Crain’s New York: Op-ed: Improving paid medical leave for New Yorkers is long overdue
- Urban Matters: It’s Time to Fix New York’s Paid Medical Leave Program
- Albany Times Union: Commentary: Weak paid medical leave policies force workers to choose between their health and their bills
- Capitol Pressroom: New York’s disability benefit poised for major increase
- Spectrum News NY: Advocates want paid family and medical leave to expand in New York
- Crain’s New York: Ahead of budget vote, advocates and legislators call for better temporary disability and paid-family-leave policies
- New York Law Journal: Beyond Prenatal Leave: New York’s Unjust Medical Leave System
New Yorkers’ stories:
- Lee Taylor, AM New York: New York must update paid medical leave program to fit with the times by Lee Taylor
- Small business owner Lena DeGloma, Brooklyn Downtown Star: It’s Time to Modernize Paid Medical Leave
- Kolandro Bramble, Essence: I Was Forced To Survive On $170 A Week After An Emergency C-Section
- Moriah Engelberg, Medium: For Many New Yorkers, Mental Health Care Remains Inaccessible Due to a Lack of Robust Paid Medical Leave
- Compilation: New Yorkers Share Why We Need A Strengthened Paid Family & Medical Leave Program
Testimony:
- A Better Balance’s Written Testimony in Support of Reforming New York’s Paid Medical Leave Program (2026)
- A Better Balance’s Written Testimony to the New York City Council Committee on Women and Gender Equity: Paid Leave Reform and Implementation (2025)
- A Better Balance Testimony to New York State Senate Re: Strengthening New York’s Paid Medical and Family Leave Program (2024)
