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Oregon’s first paid leave law takes effect on Sept. 3, which means on or after that date, Asante employees can submit claims to take time off to care for qualified family members or for their own health and safety.
As you may know, Paid Leave Oregon is a new program that allows employees in Oregon who have earned at least $1,000 in the prior year to take up to 12 weeks of paid family, medical or safe leave within a benefit year.
Asante has chosen to participate in Paid Leave Oregon through a fully insured private plan administered by MetLife. This program is made possible through collaborative funding by Asante and our employees via payroll deduction, which will begin Sept. 1.
While on leave, MetLife will pay a percentage of your wages. The benefit amount will depend on what you have earned the previous year. If you receive benefits through the Paid Leave Oregon program you’ll be able to supplement those benefits with Asante-earned accruals of ESDP, ETO and if elected at open enrollment, short-term disability programs, up to 100% income replacement.
We have received many questions related to how and when to apply for a leave through Paid Leave Oregon.
The leave of absence request process will be very similar once Paid Leave Oregon takes effect. If an employee needs to request an intermittent or continuous leave of absence for a serious health condition, they will submit a new leave request in MyAsanteTime 30 days in advance if the leave is foreseeable.
After submitting a new leave request, the employee will receive an email with certification paperwork, the amount of time they have available, and other important information. They also will learn what to do next to certify their leave.
If you would like to use Paid Leave Oregon benefits, beginning no earlier than Sept. 3, submit a claim request to MetLife. You can reach MetLife at (833) 622-0135 or mybenefits.metlife.com. Do not apply for benefits through the state’s Frances Online website as this may cause a delay in benefits.
You can find more details in MyHR under the Leaves and Time Off widget.
You may also submit a case by sending an email to my**************@as****.org or contacting your leaves analyst at le****@as****.org.
Paid Leave Oregon
Download:
Paid Leave Oregon easy reference guide 
How to file a claim with MetLife
Asante FAQs
Frequently asked questions
This is a new program that allows employees in Oregon to take paid time off for important life events.
Both employees and employers with 25 or more employees contribute an Oregon Paid Leave premium, split 60/40. Employees pay 60% of the total 1% contribution rate. This is no more than 0.6% of your taxable wages of $132,900 (for 2023).
This means once your taxable wages reach $132,900 (for one employer) in the calendar year, you do not pay contributions on wages above that amount. This amount is adjusted annually and beginning on Jan. 1, 2024, it will match the Social Security wage cap.
Deductions will begin to come out of your paychecks as of Sept. 1, 2023.
Employees are not required to apply for benefits but are not able to opt out of paying contributions.
If you never happen to use the Paid Leave Oregon benefits and you either leave or retire from Asante, you will not receive any monetary benefits from your contributions to Paid Leave Oregon.
- To care for a family member with a serious health condition.
- The birth of a child.
- Bonding with a child (in the first year after birth, after adoption, when they are placed in your home through foster care).
- For your own serious health condition.
- For survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, harassment or stalking.
No, but when an employee takes paid leave through Paid Leave Oregon and qualifies for OFLA or FMLA, the leaves will run concurrently.
On Sept. 3. If you require leave, contact MetLife no earlier than Sept. 3 to initiate your claim. Call (833) 622-0135 or go to mybenefits.metlife.com.
Employees receive a maximum of 12 weeks of paid leave per year; however, if a mother experiences complications with pregnancy or childbirth, they can be eligible for an additional two weeks.
The amount depends on how much you earned the year before. Some employees will get 100% of their gross wages, while others will receive a portion of their weekly gross wages.
Employees may choose to supplement Paid Leave Oregon pay by using ETO (or ESDP when available). When supplementing, the maximum number of ETO hours allowed per pay period when combined with Paid Leave Oregon pay cannot exceed 100% of your regular earnings.
Paid Leave Oregon and short-term disability will run concurrently while the employee is eligible.
Paid Leave Oregon will be the first payer on a claim, and any short-term disability payments will be offset by payments received by Paid Leave Oregon.
You will not receive more than 100% of your weekly wages.
Contact MetLife to initiate your Paid Leave Oregon claim. Do not use the state’s portal. You can reach MetLife at (833) 622-0135 and mybenefits.metlife.com. The soonest you can apply for your leave is Sept. 3.
Make sure to enter your time missed into myAsanteTime.
Yes, per Asante leave policy employees must notify their supervisor at least 30 days in advance of leave or as soon as possible if 30 days advance notice is not possible. Requests should be submitted in myAsanteTime by selecting the “My Leave Request” option. For assistance, contact HR Absence Management at (541) 789-5395 or le****@as****.org.
MetLife will pay Paid Leave Oregon benefits on a weekly basis. Pay is retroactive from when your leave began. If you are on short-term disability along with a Paid Leave Oregon claim, Paid Leave Oregon will be the first payer.
Short-term disability will be offset by payments made by Paid Leave Oregon. The Standard issues short-term disability payments and MetLife issues Paid Leave Oregon payments.
Asante will pay any supplemental benefits if you choose to supplement any of your pay with ETO or ESDP.
You are not eligible for benefits for any absences before Sept. 3, 2023. If you meet the eligibility criteria, you could be eligible for benefits starting on Sept. 3.
Contact MetLife on or after that date to initiate your Paid Leave Oregon claim. You can reach them at (833) 622-0135 and mybenefits.metlife.com.
Yes, employees can use paid leave on an intermittent schedule, but paid leave cannot be taken for less than a full day.
Yes, as Paid Leave Oregon is a new benefit, you will need to provide certification that the state requires for your leave if your leave was certified more than 30 days earlier.
Yes, benefits are generally taxable, depending on the type of leave the employee is taking:
- Family leave benefits are fully taxable.
- Safe leave benefits are fully taxable.
- Medical leave benefits are taxable based on the ratio of employer contributions to total employer and employee contributions.
Employees can expect to receive a separate W-2 form from MetLife for benefits paid through Paid Leave Oregon.
Yes, as long as the employee has worked for their employer for a minimum of 90 days before taking Paid Leave Oregon.
Yes, as long as your baby was born on or after Sept. 3, 2022, and it is within the first year.
No, the child would not qualify for Paid Leave Oregon unless they had a serious health condition. This scenario could be eligible for the sick-child benefit under OFLA.
You are eligible for Paid Leave Oregon only if you physically work in the State of Oregon and pay Oregon state taxes.
If you have a question, please contact the author or relevant department directly.
5 Comments. Leave new
How much is going to cost me per paycheck?
Hello Michelle,
Thank you for the comment. We will send a separate email to you on this.
Regards,
Nathan
Asante Human Resources
COULD SOMEONE PLEASE ANSWER THIS QUESTION MORE CLEAR. OR FIX THE YEAR?? My wife had a baby before Sept. 3. Can I apply for Paid Leave Oregon for bonding?
Yes, as long as your baby was born on or after Sept. 3, 2022, and it is within the first year.
Who can I contact if I have a question about Paid Leave Oregon.
You can email le****@as****.org.