Maine Paid Leave Coalition celebrates launch of Paid Family & Medical Leave in Maine

Maine’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program will officially launch on Friday, May 1, after more than a year of contributions and a month of accepting applications. In 2023, Maine became the fourteenth state (including Washington D.C.) to pass a comprehensive paid leave program. Mainers can now apply for leave through the Maine Department of Labor’s paid leave portal at maine.gov/paidleave. The first weekly benefit payments through the state plan will be made on May 7.

“I’ve seen people in my own life try to navigate some of the most important moments they’ll ever face while also worrying about how they would keep up with bills — carrying responsibilities at home and at work, often all at once. That shouldn’t be the tradeoff,” said Senate President Mattie Daughtry, sponsor of the legislation that created the program. “Our PFML program is the result of more than a decade of work to get this right for Maine, and it ensures Mainers can care for themselves and the people they love without risking their financial stability. When people are supported, our workplaces and our economy are stronger, too. Seeing these benefits go into effect is a surreal and historic moment for our state.”

To celebrate this milestone and raise awareness about the PFML program, organizations of the Maine Paid Leave Coalition will host public events in both Bangor and Portland. Paid Leave launch celebrations are set for 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, May 1, in both Congress Square Park in Portland and in West Market Square in Bangor, during both city’s popular First Friday Art Walk events. In the event of heavy rain on May 1, a PFML celebration event will be held at a later date.

While early applications could be submitted beginning on March 30, an individual’s leave must have been occurring on or after May 1 to be approved. The number of applicants has been consistent with the actuarial estimate. Since March 30, the Department has received over 2,000 applications for the state plan. (Note: Some employees are covered by their employer’s private plan, rather than the state plan. Before applying, employees considering leave should talk to their employer to find out the next steps they should take to apply to the state or a private plan.)

The Paid Family and Medical Leave program provides up to 12 weeks of benefits for key life events. Benefits are flexible and portable. Eligible leave can be for:

• Medical Leave: For times when a serious health condition keeps an individual from working.
• Parental Leave: Time to bond with a new child.
• Family Care Leave: Time to care for a loved one with a serious health condition.
• Military Family Leave: Time to prepare for a family member's deployment.
• Safe Leave: Time to find safety when an individual or a family member is the victim of abuse, violence, or sexual assault.