Plan Overview

Employers in the State of New Hampshire play a vital role in helping workers access wage replacement benefits to address their personal health and family care needs while staying connected to work.

For Employers

NH PFML is a paid family and medical leave insurance plan where NH employers and eligible NH workers can access 60% wage replacement (up to the Social Security wage cap) for up to six weeks per year for absences related to life events such as:

  • A worker’s own serious health condition when disability coverage does not apply, including childbirth
  • For a worker to bond with a child during the first year of birth, including placement for adoption or fostering
  • For a worker to care for a family member with a serious health condition
  • Any qualifying urgent demand or need arising out of the fact that the worker’s spouse, child or parent is a covered military member on covered active duty
  • For a worker to care for a covered service member with a serious injury or illness if the eligible worker is the service member’s spouse, child, parent or next of kin

Leave can be taken all at once or in partial days with a minimum of 4-hour increments.

An unpaid period of up to 7 days must be met once per benefit period, after which a claim may be paid. 

MetLife offers a 6-week coverage plan and a 12-week coverage plan.

Who are covered family members under NH PFML? 

Covered family members include a: 

  • Child (including biological, adoptive, foster, or stepchild, legal ward, or child of a person standing in loco parentis who is under 18 years of age or 18 years of age or older and incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability)
  • Child's spouse or domestic partner
  • Spouse; or a domestic partner
  • Parent (including biological, adoptive, foster, or stepparent, or legal guardian of the worker or the worker’s spouse or domestic partner)
  • Grandparent (including biological, adoptive, foster, or step grandparent)

What is a serious health condition? 

In general, NH PFML considers a health condition to be serious when paid leave is taken for these reasons: 

  • Inpatient care
  • Incapacity for more than three days with continuing treatment by a health care provider
  • Incapacity relating to pregnancy or prenatal care
  • Permanent or long-term incapacity
  • Certain conditions requiring multiple treatment, and
  • Chronic health conditions that may prevent a person from working during a flair up, for example, a person with epilepsy may not be able to work due to an epileptic episode
     
Employees in conference room 2

Who is Eligible for the Program?

Any employer with a physical location in New Hampshire  may purchase a NH PFML insurance plan for their NH workers. Eligible NH workers must be designated as working for a NH employer. Eligibility will be verified by MetLife during the enrollment process.

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Do I Have to Purchase NH PFML Insurance? 

No. Employers are not required to purchase a NH PFML insurance plan. 

NH PFML is a voluntary benefit available to all employers and workers but required of none. NH PFML insurance was established in state law as a voluntary insurance program, allowing employers and workers a choice whether or not to participate.

What Happens if I Don't Purchase NH PFML Insurance?

New Hampshire Department of Insurance regulations allow other insurance companies to seek approval to provide paid family and medical leave benefit plans. However, employers who purchase other paid family and medical leave insurance plans or employer equivalent coverage will not qualify for the BET tax credit.

Employers can choose to provide:

  • NH PFML insurance issued by MetLife, the state’s insurance partner;
  • Other paid family and medical leave insurance plans approved by the New Hampshire Department of Insurance; or 
  • Approved employer equivalent benefit coverage

If an employer does not provide employer equivalent benefit coverage, workers may purchase NH PFML individual insurance for themselves from MetLife (employer obligations still apply). The NH PFML individual insurance plan includes: 

  • 6 weeks of wage replacement at 60% up to the Social Security wage cap 
  • A single unpaid work week before benefits may be paid
  • Leave that can be taken all at once (continuous) or in partial days (intermittent) with a minimum of 4-hour increments
  • 7-month waiting period before a claim may be submitted
  • Premiums of no more than $5 per week

How Do I Coordinate NH PFML Benefits if I Offer Paid Benefits for Similar Qualifying Events?

NH PFML insurance is designed to coordinate with other types of leave and worker benefits in the following manner:

  • If a worker qualifies for Short-Term Disability (STD), they will not qualify for NH PFML insurance benefits for the same days absent
  • If a worker is eligible to receive workers’ compensation, they will not qualify for NH PFML insurance benefits
  • NH PFML insurance will run concurrently with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) when a worker is eligible for qualifying leave under both programs
  • Any other paid benefit coordination is based on employer policy, NH statute and rules of the MetLife agreement

Who is the State's Insurance Carrier?

MetLife is the State of NH’s insurance partner to provide NH PFML insurance to NH employers and workers.

Employer talking to employee 2

What is the advantage of purchasing coverage through MetLife, the state's insurance carrier?

By purchasing NH PFML employer-sponsored insurance through MetLife, the state’s PFML insurance partner, you are eligible to receive a BET tax credit equal to 50% of the NH PFML insurance premium you pay. 

Other insurers or third-party administrators may be authorized to provide equivalent paid family and medical leave insurance plans, but the BET tax credit only applies when you purchase a NH PFML insurance plan through MetLife.