Update Applicable to:	Effective Date
Parental and Short-Term Family Leave: Employers With 10 or more Employees   Family Leave: Employers With 15 or More Employees	July 1, 2025

What happened?

On May 22, 2025, the governor of Vermont signed the House Bill (H.461) into law, expanding employee access to unpaid leave and amending the state’s family and parental leave policies.

Overview:

The changes are:

1. Expanded Leave Reasons 

Employees may now take unpaid leave for:

• Safe leave: For victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking
• Military Exigency: For issues related to a family member’s active duty.
• Bereavement: Up to 2 weeks (max 5 consecutive days) within a year of a family member’s death
• Parental leave: Now includes recovery from miscarriage and bonding with adopted or foster children under 18.

2. Broader Definition of “Family Member” 

Includes:

• Domestic and civil union partners
• Grandparents, grandchildren, and siblings (including those of a spouse or partner)
• Anyone with a parent-like caregiving relationship

3. Paid Leave Options

• Employees may use accrued paid time off or short-term disability insurance.
• The previous 6-week cap on paid leave substitution is removed.

4. Job Protection: Employees must be reinstated to the same or a similar job after leave, with limited exceptions

5. Documentation 

Employers may request documentation for:

• Family relationship
• Bereavement (e.g., obituary, death certificate)
• Safe leave (e.g., court documents, self-attestation)
• Military exigency (per federal guidelines)

Short-Term Family Leave (Up to 24 Hours/Year): Also applies to employers with 10 or more employees.

Employees may take up to 24 hours of unpaid leave per year, in increments of at least 2 hours, for:

• Attending school activities related to a child’s education.
• Accompanying a family member to routine medical or dental appointments
• Attending other professional service appointments for a family member’s care
• Responding to a medical emergency involving a family member
• Note: The expanded definition of “family member” also applies to short-term family leave.

Source References

• Vermont H 461 (Act 32) – An act relating to expanding employee access to unpaid leave

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