A proposal by Assemblyman Matt Slater (R,C-Yorktown) to expand paid family leave for military spouses is currently being reviewed and considered by the Department of Defense (DOD). Slater wrote to the DOD requesting the inclusion of his legislation (A.6744) in the 2026 Department of Defense State Policy Priorities Impacting Service Members and Their Families.
“Deployments and activation are not limited to missions overseas,” explained Slater. “This gap in the paid family leave laws put our military families in vulnerable positions by having to use vacation, sick and other allotted time to care for their families while their loved ones are answering our nation’s call. I am hopeful the Department of Defense will review this proposal with sincere consideration so that regardless of the location of their deployment, service members are no longer sacrificing time away from their families and deserve to have the security of paid family leave.”
Under current law, New York state restricts paid family leave to service members deployed to foreign countries. A handful of residents of New York have been forced to use all their paid time off before qualifying for family leave. This has left service members and their families without essential financial support during critical times.
*Click here to view the letter*
Photo:Assemblyman Matt Slater (R,C-Yorktown) on the Assembly floor .
Photo Credit : Office of Assemblyman Matt Slater