Washington Administrative Code
Title 192 - Employment Security Department
PAID FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE
Chapter 192-530 - Voluntary plans
Section 192-530-060 - How can approved voluntary plans end and what happens when they do?
Universal Citation: WA Admin Code 192-530-060
Current through Register Vol. 24-18, September 15, 2024
(1) An approved voluntary plan ends when either the employer withdraws the plan or the agency terminates the plan for good cause. When a voluntary plan ends either through termination or withdrawal the following requirements must be satisfied:
(a) Benefits and benefit eligibility under a
voluntary plan must be maintained for all employees covered by that plan until
the effective date of termination or withdrawal.
(b) On the effective date of a voluntary plan
termination or withdrawal, employees currently taking family or medical leave
under this chapter are entitled to employment restoration under
RCW
50A.30.010 until the leave ends.
(c) Employers must notify employees of any
plan withdrawal or termination within five business days of notification by the
department of the effective date of the termination or withdrawal.
(2) Withdrawal. Employers have the right to withdraw a voluntary plan under RCW 50A.30.010 and as provided herein:
(a) If an employer chooses to withdraw a
voluntary plan due to a legally required increase in the benefit amounts or any
change in the rate of employee premiums, the employer must provide notice to
the department at least thirty days prior to the date the change goes into
effect, stating the reason for the withdrawal. The plan will be considered
withdrawn on the date of the change. Within thirty days of the effective date
of withdrawal, the employer must remit to the department any employee wages
withheld for the purpose of paying paid family or medical leave benefits that
were not used to pay paid family or medical leave benefits.
(b) If the employer chooses to withdraw a
voluntary plan for any other reason, the employer must provide notice to the
department at least thirty days prior to the end of a calendar quarter. The
plan will be considered withdrawn on the first day of the calendar quarter
following the properly provided notice. If notice is provided less than thirty
days prior to the end of a quarter, the plan will be considered withdrawn on
the first day of the second calendar quarter following notice of the
withdrawal. Within thirty days of the effective date of withdrawal, the
employer must remit to the department any employee wages withheld for the
purpose of paying paid family or medical leave benefits that were not used to
pay paid family or medical leave benefits.
(c) On the effective date of a voluntary plan
withdrawal, for employees currently receiving paid family or medical leave
benefits under the voluntary plan, the employer will have the option to:
(i) Continue to pay benefits under the terms
of the voluntary plan until the total amount of the benefit is paid or the
duration of leave ends, whichever happens first; or
(ii) Immediately pay the employee the maximum
remaining amount of benefits available to the employee under the terms of the
voluntary plan, regardless of the duration of leave that is actually
taken.
(d) Any benefit
payments made by an employer to an employee on leave at the time of a voluntary
plan withdrawal under (b) of this subsection will be deducted from any moneys
owed to the department as described in (a) of this subsection.
(3) Termination. The department may terminate an employer's voluntary plan for good cause as defined under WAC 192-530-070 and as provided herein:
(a) If the department terminates an
employer's voluntary plan, the department will notify the employer of the
effective date of and reason for the termination. The department will calculate
the amount owed by the employer and send an invoice for payment. The amount due
will consist of all moneys in the plan, including any contributions held in
trust as required by
RCW
50A.30.050, moneys owed to the voluntary plan
by the employer but not yet paid to the plan, and any interest accrued on all
these moneys. The amount is due immediately. Any balance owed will begin
accruing interest on the thirtieth calendar day after the date of the
invoice.
(b) On the effective date
of a voluntary plan termination, employees currently receiving paid family or
medical leave benefits under the voluntary plan are, if otherwise eligible
under the state plan, immediately entitled to benefits from the state
plan.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Washington may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google
Privacy Policy and
Terms of Service apply.