Washington State's Family Care Act (2002) allows workers with available paid sick leave or other paid time off to care for a sick child with a routine illness; a spouse, registered domestic partner, parent, parent-in-law, or grandparent with a serious or emergency health condition; and an adult child with a disability.

An employer may not discipline an employee for leave taken under this law.

For more detail about this law, see:
Family Care Rules administrative policy (ES.C.10) (148 KB PDF).
Family Care Act - RCW 49.12.265 through 49.12.295.
Family Care Rules, WAC 296-130.

For more information:

Table of Family Care and Family Leave Laws (131 KB PDF) - Provides a comparison of state and federal laws regarding leave for pregnancy and other family care issues.

For questions about any of Washington's leave laws, contact the Employment Standards program at your local L&I office or the central office in Tumwater at 360-902-5316.

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