Caring for loved ones shouldn’t come with financial sacrifices or worrying about job security. Worrying about your job security and your income brings a whole other level of stress to an already very stressful situation. Rhode Island Temporary Caregiver Insurance (also known as TCI) values family and caregiving for all generations. TCI provides eligible workers to care for a seriously ill child, spouse, domestic partner, parent, parent-in-law or grandparent, or to bond with a newborn child, new adopted child or new foster-care child. Rhode Island’s TCI program also protects a worker’s job and seniority at work.TCI is paid entirely through employee contributions that automatically come out of each paycheck so there is no fiscal impact on our state budget. When accidents and illness occur, it tends to be a very stressful time with a lot of added costs and complicated decisions.
3 out of 4 US workers are fulfilling caregiving roles. The US workforce is not only fulfilling their day jobs they are also filling in for the severe shortage of healthcare workers. In Rhode Island we have been hit with a shortage of nursing homes and childcare centers. The shortage of these facilities limits the ability to send other workers to help care for others in their homes or at respected facilities. This means that families and family caregivers need more time to put together a more sustainable solution in place, so they can be productive going back to work.
At one point Rhode Island was the model for TCI in the US, but policies have not yet been updated and we currently only offer up to 8 weeks of leave with a weekly benefit rate. Research shows that lowest-earning workers make up 47% of contributors to TCI, but they only make up 27% of the people who take TCI leave because the reimbursements are too low to sustain daily costs of living. Granting a 70-75% wage replacement begins to align with neighboring states and prioritizes employee well-being.
H-6066 sets to expand TCI wage reimbursement from 60% to 70% average weekly wages by January 2026 and 75% after January 2027.Provide workers with 12 weeks of family leave by January 2028. Rhode Island has the highest employee payroll tax and one of the lowest wage reimbursements for a state paid family and medical leave program. Expanded time off and wage reimbursement will reduce infant mortality rates. Paid family leave reduces need for nursing home and helps elders age in place. Paid family leave is NOT a vacation. It is physical and emotional labor to care for a seriously ill family member and bond and care for a newborn baby and/or an adopted or foster child. It helps small businesses recruit and retain high quality employees and remain competitive with larger corporations.
We all urge you to contact House Representatives, Marvin Abney, Lauren Carson, Ryan Finkelman, Teri Cortvriend, Michelle McGaw, John Edwards, Susan Donovan, and June Speakman to pass this bill.
For more information about Paid Family Leave: https://economicprogressri.org/publications/paid-family-leave-policy-brief
Angela Lima, Women’s Fund of Rhode Island
Carmela Geer, Edward King House Senior Center
Rebekah Gomez, Conexion Latina
Latisha Michael, Doula and Founder of Ready, Set, Latch, Go
Mary Alice Smith, Aquidneck Island Village
Christine Stenning, League of Women Voters
