Most men have a great deal of concern when it comes to paternity leave. The very first way that you will be able to determine whether or not you qualify for paternity pay during your paternity leave is to look at your employer handbook. See if there is a section in the handbook that directly points to the offering of paternity leave with paid benefits.
If there is nothing that directly indicates paternity pay, you are going to want to speak to the Human Resources Department and see if paternity leave and paternity pay is granted. Even though it may not have been documented in the main employer handbook, it does not automatically excuse the possibility altogether.
Another aspect that you are going to want to consider when looking for paternity pay during a paternity leave is whether or not you qualify for paid family leave. Conduct research on the Family Leave and Medical Act (FMLA) in order to understand the qualifications. From there, you can look to your employer’s handbook, as family leave is covered in many employer handbooks, even if paternity leave is not. From there, you are going to want to ask specific follow up questions in order to determine more specifically exactly what qualifications may be fulfilled.
When looking to receive paternity pay during paternity leave, another area to look into is whether or not you are eligible to receive medical benefits while you are out on paternity leave. Paternity pay is important, but medical benefits are equally important. Some employers will cover your medical benefits while you are on leave, but some will not.
It is important to find out the answer to this question beforehand. In addition, you are going to want to inquire from those employers that do cover your medical benefits while you are on paternity leave whether or not you are going to have to reimburse them for the payments.
