D.C. Gov Employees: Reduction in paid family leave Benefits

While D.C. government employee cannot use the D.C. Paid Family Leave program, there are paid family leave benefits available to D.C. government employees.

As of today, October 1st 2026, the paid family leave benefits available to D.C. government workers are changing. Changes include:

• The number of weeks of benefits per year are reduced for family caregiving.

  • Benefits for family caregiving are being reduced from a maximum of 8 weeks per year to a maximum of 2 weeks per year.

• D.C. government employees must provide detailed notice of the need for paid leave to their agency to the "extent practicable.”

• If the need for leave is not an emergency AND a D.C. government employee’s agency determines that their leave "likely to interfere with the operations of the agency," they may have to negotiate the dates of their leave with their agency.

• D.C. government employees must sign a continuation of service agreement to work at least 8 weeks after they return from leave. If they do not work at least 8 weeks after their return, they may have to pay back the income they received while on paid leave.