Maternity leave laws in Colorado do not automatically give you time off for the birth of your baby.
In Colorado, there are no laws that provide a woman short-term disability for her time out of work during maternity leave. No state laws require her to be paid for her time out of work either. This can cause problems because of the expenses that come with having a baby. It may cause a woman to return to work sooner than she is ready. It helps to be familiar with your employer's policies regarding maternity leave.
Short-Term Disability
In some cases, you can receive the benefits of short-term disability while you are on maternity leave in Colorado if you cannot work after the birth of a child, especially if there are complications that keep you in the hospital. These disability benefits cover about two-thirds of the salary you would have made if you had been working. Not all companies provide these benefits, but you also can apply for short-term disabilities funded by an outside company. You will have to make payments to the outside company for these benefits over time, but they may help while you are taking care of your newborn.
Company Policies
Depending on your employer, you may receive maternity leave, which is usually unpaid. You also may be able to use other time, such as vacation or sick time, if maternity leave is not offered at your company. If you have paid vacation hours available, you can receive pay for the time you have off until your vacation hours are consumed. Anything beyond that will be unpaid leave time. Companies cannot discriminate against pregnant women, so if the company provides time off to a person who becomes injured during off-work hours, for example, pregnant women must also receive time off.
Family and Medical Leave Act
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) states that if a company has more than four employees, it must allow people who need to care for a child (either by adoption or child birth) to take off work for up to three months. This is a federal law that must be honored by all states and companies. However, it does not require that a person be paid while on leave.
Tags: maternity leave, Family Medical, Family Medical Leave, leave Colorado, Medical Leave, outside company
