While the Family and Medical Leave Act provides unpaid sick leave for some employees, there is not a national paid sick leave policy. States, therefore, vary on provisions for paid sick leave. Paid sick leave may enable working parents to take care of sick children and provide them with routine medical care. For example, parents with access to paid sick leave are more likely to take their children to the doctor than parents without access to paid sick leave.
This indicator documents whether the state has a policy covering paid sick time for the care of family members, including care for children, as reported by the National Partnership for Women and Families. The data reflect laws and policies as of July 2022. U.S. Department of Labor. Wage and Hour Division. Family and Medical Leave Act. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla
Seixas, B. V., & Macinko, J. (2020). Unavailability of paid sick leave among parents is a barrier for children’s utilization of nonemergency health services: Evidence from the National Health Interview Survey. The International Journal of Health Planning and Management 35(5), 1083-1097. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpm.2988
Source:
National Partnership for Women and Families. (2022). Paid sick days: State and district statues. https://nationalpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/paid-sick-days-statutes.pdf