New York’s paid medical leave program (also known as Temporary Disability Insurance or TDI) hasn’t been updated since 1989, leaving New Yorkers who need time off work to manage serious health needs to survive off a mere $170 per week in benefits, with no job protection or ability to take intermittent leave. The Assembly has the chance to modernize the program by passing A.84, but as the legislative session’s end approaches, time is running out.
The following is a statement from A Better Balance Senior Staff Attorney, Jesse Workman:
“The paid medical leave benefits available to New Yorkers who need time off from work to address their own health needs have been capped at a mere $170/week since 1989.
A.84 has 89 co-sponsors- 78 Democrats and 11 Republicans – more than enough votes to pass the Assembly if it is brought up for a vote. Its companion bill has already passed the Senate, and in the midst of an unprecedented affordability crisis, the workers of New York cannot wait another year for change. No New Yorker can live off of $170 a week in 2025.
The Assembly must stop playing politics with people’s lives and bring A.84 up for a vote to ensure that no New Yorker will have to make the impossible choice between their health and their paycheck.”
