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Personnel subcommittee reviews handbook Chapter 7 and outlines county approach to new Delaware PFML
Summary
At a Jan. 20 New Castle County personnel subcommittee meeting, counsel reviewed Chapter 7 updates including sick-leave payout rules, unpaid-leave procedures and the new Delaware paid family and medical leave (PFML). Counsel said the county will cover its share for the first year (up to typical replacement levels) and staff will distribute FAQs and application forms.
The New Castle County Personnel Subcommittee met Jan. 20 to review revisions to Chapter 7 of the county employee handbook, focusing on sick-leave payouts, unpaid-leave procedures and implementation of the Delaware paid family and medical leave program that took effect Jan. 1.
"Benefits under the policy run concurrently with the family medical leave," said Mike Migliore, counsel to the council, summarizing Section 7.3 and the county's approach. He told members PFML provides partial wage-replacement and job protection and may run concurrently with FMLA and accrued leave. Migliore said eligibility for PFML requires 12 months of employment and roughly 1,250 hours in the prior 12 months, and that the state program determines initial eligibility.
Counsel explained sick-leave payout rules that apply on retirement or involuntary separation, and listed qualifying payout reasons including personal injury, illness, medical and dental care, quarantine and intensive family care.
Neli, county staff involved with benefits processing, described the filing process: employees submit a claim to the state program, the state determines eligibility, and the county then processes and logs approved claims. "The employee submits a form to the state program and their eligibility is determined that way," she said. Staff advised employees can use accrued time immediately for urgent needs and request PFML retroactively once the state confirms eligibility.
Committee members asked who pays PFML benefits. Neli and counsel said the county will cover the county share during the program’s first year and the county has decided not to deduct employee contributions this year. "They could decide to pass the costs on to employees, but they have decided not to do that for the first year," staff said.
Council members sought clarification about whether military leave and other leave categories align with state standards. Migliore said county Rule 3.13 governs military leave for county employees and he will compare county practice to the state standard and provide documentation to the council.
No formal policy changes were adopted at the meeting; staff said they will distribute the PFML FAQ and the county application materials to council members for review.
The subcommittee then moved to a mandatory ethics training session.
