Carroll County OKs joining Time to Care Act insurance collaborative

Carroll County commissioners voted to authorize execution of a memorandum of agreement to join the Maryland Time to Care Act Sector Collaborative and a related confidentiality agreement, a county staff presenter said during the Jan. 23 meeting.

The county moved to participate in a multi-organization procurement that aims to secure commercial insurance to administer pay benefits required by the Time to Care Act, a Maryland law enacted in 2022 that provides wage replacement for eligible workers taking family or medical leave. "The Time to Care Act provides workers with job protection and the ability to take time away from work to care for themselves or a family member, and they can be paid up to $1,000 a week for up to 12 weeks," a county staff member told the board.

The action matters because the law requires employers with any worker in Maryland to provide paid leave benefits; benefits are scheduled to begin July 1, 2026 and contributions to fund the program are scheduled to begin July 1, 2025 under the state plan. County staff described three funding options the county could use: the state plan, a county self-insured plan, or a commercial (private) insurance plan. The staff presenter said the county supports participating in a commercial-plan procurement run by a collaborative of local governments and school systems because it believes that option is administratively simpler and will reduce the county’s exposure and paperwork for verifying eligibility and processing claims.

County staff outlined key program details discussed in the presentation: the overall contribution rate under the state plan would be 0.9% of covered wages (0.45% withheld from employees and 0.45% paid by employers), eligibility for benefits requires at least 680 hours worked in Maryland over the prior four calendar quarters, and the law’s family definition is broader than federal FMLA, adding relatives such as grandparents, grandchildren and siblings. The staff presentation also said the collaborative charges an annual participation fee based on employee count; for employers with 1,000–2,000 employees the fee is $10,000 per year.

Commissioners asked several procedural and scope questions during the briefing, including why the Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE), the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo) and the Maryland Municipal League (MML) were part of the collaborative and whether the county would be obligated to pay if state action delayed the program. The presenter replied that the collaborative includes school systems and local governments to represent broad public-sector employer interests, and that membership should allow the county to participate in the bid process now; if the state delays implementation, the presenter said the county would not necessarily owe the next year’s participation fee.

One commissioner asked how many county employees are included for the fee basis; staff estimated about 1,200 employees when including certain partner agencies such as fire and EMS. The staff also emphasized administrative complexity under the law because eligibility is based on hours worked anywhere in Maryland, which could include employees who work for multiple employers in the state.

A county commissioner moved to authorize execution of the memorandum of agreement and the collaborative confidentiality agreement; another commissioner seconded the motion. The board voted in favor with no recorded opposition and the motion carried.

County staff said they will proceed to provide workforce data to the collaborative and participate in the request-for-proposal process to identify an insurer and administrator for benefits.