How Paid Leave works

A healthcare provider is someone licensed to practice medicine or surgery according to your state’s laws. This includes:

• Physicians and osteopathic physicians
• Nurse practitioners
• Physician assistants
• Nurse-midwives and midwives
• Clinical social workers
• Clinical psychologists
• Optometrists
• Physical therapists
• Podiatrists
• Dentists
• Chiropractors under limited circumstances, and
• Other healthcare providers identified in RCW 50A.05.010 or WAC 192-500-090

For someone to qualify for Paid Leave, they or their family member must experience a “qualifying event.” From a medical perspective, this includes:

• A major surgery, serious illness or injury
• Giving birth to a baby or experiencing complications in pregnancy
• Receiving treatment for a chronic health condition like diabetes or epilepsy
• Receiving inpatient treatment for substance abuse or for mental health

A comprehensive list of qualifying events can be found here.

No, patients do not have to use all their leave at once. For example, someone can take one day off a week for chemotherapy treatment or to care for a parent with Alzheimer’s disease. In cases like this, your role is to determine the start and end dates of your patient’s serious health condition.