(DENVER) – More than 62,000 Colorado workers have been able to get partial pay replacement when life events forced them to step away from their job this year under the State’s new Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program.
The FAMLI Division, part of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, announced today that it has distributed roughly $311 million this year to Colorado workers who filed claims under the law setting up the State’s first insurance product for partial pay replacement when serious life events force employees to temporarily step away from the job.
Colorado is the first state to set up a paid-leave program through a public vote, instead of through the legislative branch. Colorado workers and businesses started paying premiums to fund the insurance program in 2023.
Colorado also stands alone in having an online portal for health care providers to verify claims without filing physical paperwork, plus an online “HR Benefits Dashboard” for employers to manage the statuses of all their employees on FAMLI leave at a glance.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the work we’ve done to bring Colorado workers the benefits they voted for,” said Tracy Marshall, director of the FAMLI Division. “We’re on solid financial footing for the future, thanks to all the Colorado employers and workers who stepped up to build this insurance fund a year and a half ago. Now we have a program that is already helping Colorado workers care for themselves and their families when they need to, and we’re seeing other states look to us as they build their own programs.”
As of July 1, 2024 $311,129,690 has been sent to 62,632 approved FAMLI claims.
Here are some more statistics about the first six months of FAMLI benefits:
- 53.3 days = average leave duration for Colorado workers taking continuous leave
- 44,400 = Colorado workers who have completed their FAMLI leaves and returned to work
- 38,510 = submitted FAMLI claims to care for one’s own serious health condition
- 32,834 = submitted FAMLI claims to bond with a new child
- $915.30 = average FAMLI payment
- 96.7% = FAMLI claimants who filed their claims using the State’s My FAMLI+ online portal
And here are the Top 10 zip codes for submitted FAMLI claims through the first six months of the program:
- 80634 (Greeley/Evans/Milliken)
- 80013 (Aurora)
- 80134 (Parker/Lone Tree/Stonegate/The Pinery/Meridian/Cottonwood)
- 80022 (Commerce City/Denver/Derby/Dupont)
- 80015 (Aurora/Centennial)
- 80504 (Longmont/Firestone/Frederick/Mead)
- 80249 (Denver/Commerce City)
- 80550 (Windsor/Severance/Greeley)
- 80233 (Thornton/Northglenn)
- 80538 (Loveland/Masonville)
“The FAMLI benefit was a literal lifesaver to me, my family, and our future at a time when I couldn't see hope, and was stuck in a cycle of grief and fear.” said Marie, a National Guard member from northern Colorado who filed a successful Military Family Member (Exigency) claim.
FAMLI benefits are calculated on a sliding scale using the individual's average weekly wage from the previous five calendar quarters in relation to the average weekly wage for the state of Colorado. That statewide average weekly wage ticked up 3.5% on July 1, to $1,471.34. Some active FAMLI claimants may see a slight increase in their benefit payments, others will remain the same if they are already getting the maximum benefit amount. Workers can get an estimate of their potential benefit payments on our online Premium and Benefits calculator.
For more details, check out famli.colorado.gov to find how-to videos, user guides, webinar recordings and FAQs to help navigate the program.
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