NDAA passed with increased paternity leave policy

[SirGecko]

I was interested to see that language extending secondary caregiver parental leave to 12 weeks actually made it to the final bill for this year’s NDAA. Does anyone with a better power of bureaucratic prognostication have any opinion on whether this policy will ever actually go into effect? Considering the Navy seems to take mandates in these bills with varying level of seriousness I have no idea what to expect on this.

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[j4pac]

This is something that should be standard practice throughout the country. It doesn’t just help men…it helps women. I think it’s important to help the pay gap level out

 

[TheEarDoc]

This is something that should be standard practice throughout the country. It doesn’t just help men…it helps women. I think it’s important to help the pay gap level out

I remember working in the VA when my wife was pregnant and had a c-section. I had a lot of comp time built up, but still even with that I got to take a month off and that was it. Kind of BS, but hey whatever. #metoo or some nonsense......

 

[j4pac]

I remember working in the VA when my wife was pregnant and had a c-section. I had a lot of comp time built up, but still even with that I got to take a month off and that was it. Kind of BS, but hey whatever. #metoo or some nonsense......

My point is that #metoo should support paternity leave rights. Women being at risk for missing time for pregnancy and maternity leave are factors that play into why there’s a gender wage gap. If you make maternity and paternity leave the same it eliminates that as a variable…thereby helping women.

 

[pawprint]

Will ACGME rules allow this? I thought you could only get 30 days off max per year during residency. No idea how pregnancy/parental related things fit into that though

 

[SirGecko]

Will ACGME rules allow this? I thought you could only get 30 days off max per year during residency. No idea how pregnancy/parental related things fit into that though

Yeah my guess is that it would be the same as maternity leave if you are in residency. Most of the time you have to extend your residency unless they have the ability to waive it.

Also for those that haven’t seen it the policy also extends maternity leave by 6 weeks. Overall it’s one of the best parental leave policies in the US if implemented as written, I’m just not optimistic that the culture of the military will let it survive as written for long. (I hope that it does though, I believe that federal employees got this written in last year and it was actually implemented) I know a bunch of Private sector companies have long parental leave policies that few actually take because of cultural issues pressuring against it.

The bill says it’s supposed to be implemented by Jan 2023. Hopefully they actually implement it but it just reminds me of the (what, eight month?) window where the Navy briefly had an 18 week maternity leave policy.

 

[Gastrapathy]

There’s always stuff in the NDAA that falls away before implementing. Time will tell

 

[backrow]

Will ACGME rules allow this? I thought you could only get 30 days off max per year during residency. No idea how pregnancy/parental related things fit into that though

This is dependent upon specialty. For example, ophthalmology and psychiatry have no leave limits written in ACGME whereas general surgery has very specific limits based on what year in training you are.

If you want/need to take more than what is “allowed” you would take a leave of absence.

 

[TheEarDoc]

My point is that #metoo should support paternity leave rights. Women being at risk for missing time for pregnancy and maternity leave are factors that play into why there’s a gender wage gap. If you make maternity and paternity leave the same it eliminates that as a variable…thereby helping women.

I think mom and dad should both get the same amount of leave. My wife needed a lot of help recovering from surgery after we our child. Luckily I had the time and took the extra stored up time, but working for the federal government I should have had that leave to begin with.

 

[Baron Samedi]

Any reason someone with a kid born in 2021 can't hold out until 2022 to take the 12 weeks instead of the 3 or 6 currently offered?

 

[SirGecko]

Any reason someone with a kid born in 2021 can't hold out until 2022 to take the 12 weeks instead of the 3 or 6 currently offered?

I think that would depend on how the date the start of the new policy. The bill says they are to enact it by 2023. You would need to take parental within a year of the child’s birth. If they enact it with a retrospective date to the signing of the NDAA that might qualify a birth in 2021 assuming the policy is put in place early enough. I kind of doubt that happens though (I would think they’ll delay as long as they can) Births in 2022 may be more likely to wind up qualifying but I don’t think that is really a guarantee. (And I think commands will probably put up a lot of social pressure to not take the full leave of it isn’t directly after the birth). I’ve heard the Air Force previously let people have the extra leave even if they had already taken it when they went to 21 days but I’m not Air Force so can’t confirm that personally.

 

[Baron Samedi]

I think that would depend on how the date the start of the new policy. The bill says they are to enact it by 2023. You would need to take parental within a year of the child’s birth. If they enact it with a retrospective date to the signing of the NDAA that might qualify a birth in 2021 assuming the policy is put in place early enough. I kind of doubt that happens though (I would think they’ll delay as long as they can) Births in 2022 may be more likely to wind up qualifying but I don’t think that is really a guarantee. (And I think commands will probably put up a lot of social pressure to not take the full leave of it isn’t directly after the birth). I’ve heard the Air Force previously let people have the extra leave even if they had already taken it when they went to 21 days but I’m not Air Force so can’t confirm that personally.

Thanks for the info. I actually meant 2022 child but you answered that anyways.