Paid family medical leave is an essential strategy for healthy moms and healthy babies. The benefits of employers offering paid leave includes:

  • Mothers get to heal before returning to work after a delivery or c-section.
  • Mothers have the time and opportunity to breastfeed their infants.
  • Infants can spend time bonding with their mothers to establish a pattern of healthy social and emotional development.
  • Infant mortality rates decrease.
  • Families still have a steady source of income during a maternity/paternity leave in order to be autonomous and care for the families’ needs.

In Kentucky, paid family leave policies have been left up to individual employers, resulting in some private businesses offering their employees paid leave for the birth of a new child or an adoption, but it is not a policy guaranteed statewide.  

In December 2024, Governor Andy Beshear announced his administration had filed amendments to administrative regulations to allow state employees to have six weeks of family medical leave, for parental leave or medical necessity leave. Employees would be eligible for the paid leave as soon as they begin working for the state, but they would only be allowed to utilize the benefit once every ten years – a provision that could create barriers for families with multiple children born or adopted in a ten year period. 

The proposed regulations for both merit and non-merit employees have been drafted and are available to review on the state website:

These regulations are now in the open comment period where Kentucky citizens can offer feedback and recommendations before they are reviewed by legislative committees and become permanent.  This is an opportunity for Kentucky working families to provide insight as the state finalizes implementation of the new paid family leave policy. 

The state is accepting public comments on these new regulations through March 31st, 2025.

Currently some of KYA’s partner agencies have created a form for Kentuckians to offer feedback about these proposed regulations.  KYA is encouraging you to offer your feedback and share the link with others that may be interested in contributing.  

Click on this link to complete the form and offer information on paid parental need and medical necessity leave. This information will be shared with the Kentucky Office of Legal Services in order to give feedback to the proposed regulation.  

If you would rather submit your comments directly, you can submit them to:

Rosemary Holbrook
Executive Director, Office of Legal Services
501 High Street, 3rd Floor
Frankfort, KY 40601

Phone: 502.564.7430
Fax: 502.564.0224
Email: RosemaryG.Holbrook@ky.gov

Supporting new parents and their children is an issue that affects working families across Kentucky and open comment periods provide an opportunity to share your thoughts on these regulations with Kentucky’s leadership.