In late 2020, the state of Colorado implemented three new leave options for state employees effective January 1, 2021. Leave options may not be applicable to all employee types, so due to differing eligibility requirements and entitlement provisions, it is necessary that each request for leave be individually evaluated, and guidance provided on a case-by-case basis. All leaves are paid at the employee’s normal rate of pay.
Healthy Families & Workplaces Act
Accrual of paid leave for employee types
not eligible for other CSU leaves
Public Health Emergency Leave
Public health leave specific to the pandemic
(ended June 9, 2023)
Paid Family Medical Leave
Partial paid family medical leave for state classified employees
Starting January 1, 2021, HFWA requires employers to provide paid sick leave to their employees, accrued at one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 48 hours per year.
| Employee Eligibility | Employees who do not otherwise accrue CSU leave are eligible for healthy families and workplaces act leave (e.g. faculty/admin pro |
| Qualifying Reasons | 1. Having a mental or physical illness, injury or health condition that prevents employee from working; |
2. Needing to get preventive medical care, or to get a medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of any mental or physical illness, injury or health condition;
3. Needing to care for a family member who has a mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition, or who needs the sort of care listed in reason 2;
4. The employee or family member having been a victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault, or criminal harassment, and needing leave for related medical attention, mental health care or other counseling, victim services (including legal services), or relocation;
5. Due to a public health emergency, a public official having closed either (A) the employee's place of business or (B) the school or place of care of the employee's child, requiring the employee needing to be absent from work to care for the child.
Effective Aug. 7, 2023:
6. Bereavement, or financial/legal needs after a death of a family member.
Public health emergency leave ended June 9, 2023.
Signed into law July 14, 2020, the Healthy Families Workplaces Act (HFWA) required the state to provide eligible employees with job-protected, public health emergency leave effective January 1, 2021, for specific reasons related to the pandemic.
During the entirety of a public health emergency, until four weeks after the public health emergency ends (ended May 11, 2023), full-time employees who are unable to work or telework are eligible for up to 80 hours of public health emergency leave (regular base pay).
| Employee Eligibility | All employees (including hourly) - immediately upon hire. | ||
| Qualifying Reasons | 1. Needing to self-isolate because the employee is diagnosed or experiencing symptoms of the communicable disease (COVID-19); | ||
2. Seeking or obtaining medical diagnosis, care or treatment, preventative care, or care of such illness (including receiving a vaccine and dealing with vaccine side effects);
3. Being exposed to, or experiencing symptoms of such illness (COVID-19);
4. Being unable to work due to a health condition that may increase susceptibility or risk of such illness;
5. Caring for a child or other family member for reasons 1, 2, or 3 above, or whose school, child care provider, or other care provider is either unavailable, closed, or providing remote instruction due to the public health emergency; or
6. Closure of the temporary employee’s work location, and work cannot be performed remotely.
The addition of the flu, RSV and other respiratory illnesses is inclusive of the original entitlement and does not allow for an additional 80 hours of public health emergency leave.