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Rep. Teddy Waszak introduces H.459 to address reported interaction between paid family leave and workers’ compensation
Summary
Representative Teddy Waszak introduced H.459, a short form bill addressing reported employer practices that require employees to exhaust paid family leave and PTO before workers’ compensation, and asked the committee to consider technical language fixes and testimony from union representatives.
BURLINGTON — At the April 2 meeting of the House Committee on General and Housing, Representative Teddy Waszak introduced H.459, described as “an act relating to parental and family leave,” and summarized the bill’s intent as closing a loophole some workers have reported encountering between paid family leave and workers’ compensation.
Waszak, who identified himself as a sponsor along with Representative Connor Casey, told the committee that several individuals have reported employers' practices that shift an injured worker first onto paid family leave and then onto paid time off before applying workers’ compensation, reducing the employer’s workers’‑compensation charges. “There have been employers that say, okay, we'll give you workman's comp, but first you're going to go on paid family leave, then you're gonna use up that time, then you'll use your PTO, and then you'll do workman's comp to bring down the amount of workman's comp that you're being charged,” he said.
Waszak characterized the bill as a short, technical change and offered to provide draft language. He recommended the committee hear testimony from a Teamsters representative — he named “Curtis” and suggested the committee contact him — who Has reportedly collected testimony from three or four affected individuals. Waszak and other committee members stressed they did not believe the practice to be widespread but said even a small number of affected workers merited attention.
No formal vote or referral was recorded during the introduction; Waszak asked committee staff to schedule union testimony and to supply draft statutory language for review.
