Westchester County’s Parental Leave Policy Leaves Newer Hires With Little or No Paid Time Off
WHITE PLAINS, NY (April 14, 2026) — Westchester County employees taking maternity or bonding leave receive paid time off only to the extent they have personally accumulated annual leave, personal leave, supplemental time, holiday leave and sick leave, with no guaranteed block of dedicated paid parental leave and no participation in New York State’s Paid Family Leave program.
The county’s Employee Handbook, revised January 2025, states on page 25: “A pregnant employee, upon filing appropriate medical evidence that she is medically disabled due to pregnancy/childbirth, will be permitted to use any annual leave, personal leave, supplemental time, holiday leave and sick leave for the period of the disability and will be eligible for extended sick leave.”
It continues: “Generally, employees who wish to take a bonding leave for their newborn child will be permitted to use any annual leave, personal leave, supplemental time, and holiday leave upon filing appropriate documentation.”
The handbook adds: “In addition to the preceding leaves with pay, an employee taking either maternity or bonding leave shall be granted, upon request to the County, a leave of absence without pay for a maximum of seven months, which may be extended upon recommendation of the Department Head, up to a maximum of two (2) years.”
The policy notes that adoption or foster care situations “may have special considerations” and directs employees to “refer to your union contract and talk with your departmental administrator when considering a maternity or bonding leave.”
Extended sick leave during the disability phase is available at one-half pay for a period not to exceed one bi-weekly pay period for each complete year of service, upon recommendation of the department head and approval of the commissioner of human resources.
The handbook also references the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, under which eligible employees may receive up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave consisting of appropriate accrued paid leave and unpaid leave.
Because Westchester County, as a public employer, has chosen not to opt into New York State’s Paid Family Leave program, county employees do not receive the state benefit that provides up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave at 67 percent of the employee’s average weekly wage, capped at $1,228.53 per week in 2026. Officials have confirmed that the state program does not apply.
Under the county’s accrual-based system, the amount of paid leave available depends heavily on an employee’s tenure and prior use of leave. Newer hires with limited or no accumulated balances may exhaust their small accruals quickly during a pregnancy-related disability period — often six to eight weeks or longer — and then shift to unpaid leave for bonding. Longer-serving employees with substantial accrued time can remain paid for significantly longer periods in the same family situation.
The unpaid leave provision offers job protection beyond the 12 weeks provided by the Family and Medical Leave Act, with the initial seven months available upon request and possible extensions up to two years upon department head recommendation. The handbook describes the maternity/bonding leave section as “general information provided as a guideline for employees.”
The policy uses gendered language that begins with reference to “a pregnant employee” and employs the term “maternity” leave, while separately addressing bonding leave. It does not contain explicit gender-neutral framing that affirms equal access for non-birth parents, fathers, adoptive parents or same-sex couples in the handbook text itself.
No clear explanation appears in the handbook of how the county policy coordinates with Family and Medical Leave Act protections during extended unpaid leave, including details on health insurance continuation, pension credit or seniority accrual beyond the initial protected period. The handbook repeatedly notes that union contracts prevail where they differ.
This structure creates a system in which paid support for new parents is not standardized but varies by individual accrual history, while the county forgoes the baseline partial wage replacement available through the state program to most private-sector workers in New York.
The existing framework provides broad use of multiple categories of accrued leave during both the disability and bonding phases, along with extended unpaid job protection that exceeds many employers’ offerings. At the same time, it relies almost entirely on what employees have already earned rather than providing a dedicated paid parental leave benefit available regardless of tenure.
This article was prepared with the assistance of AI tools under the direction and editing of Robert Cox.
Have information about this story? Email robertcox@talkofthesound (preferred) or contact via WhatsApp: +353 089 972 0669.
