A woman who is employed can receive disability benefits while she is pregnant. This is called pregnancy disability, which is for the period of time that a woman is medically disabled due to pregnancy and childbirth. This time may consist of leave without pay and/or paid leave (such as accrued sick leave, vacation, and paid time off). When medically necessary, an employee may be able to take pregnancy disability on a reduced work schedule or on an intermittent basis.
When you’re a new parent or you’re expecting a baby you have extra rights at work. You or your partner could be entitled to:
- maternity rights
- paternity leave and pay
- shared parental leave
- adoption leave and pay
- unpaid time off to look after your child
- come to antenatal appointments with your partner
You get all these rights in same-sex relationships as well as in opposite-sex relationships.
The State of California also has a Paid Family Leave program. This is a program in which workers can get up to six weeks of partial pay a year while taking time off from work to care for a new child or a sick family member. You can be covered under the Paid Family Leave program if you leave work in order to do one of the following:
1) Care for your child, husband, wife, domestic partner, or parent because of a serious health problem;
2) Bond with a new baby, born, adopted or foster child (this applies to both mothers and fathers).
Employees paying into the State Disability Insurance (SDI) program can participate in the Paid Family Leave program.
—- refer to Kids5 Advice for New Parents
