At some point in their lives, almost everybody will need to take time off from work to heal from an illness or injury, recuperate from childbirth, or care for a relative, be they a newborn baby or an older loved one. Unfortunately, too many Virginians simply can’t afford to take this time off because they don’t have paid family and medical leave.
Thankfully, the Biden administration has proposed a federal budget that includes national, comprehensive paid family and medical leave. I hope that our members of Congress, including my representative Jen Kiggans, will support this budget to allow Virginians to care for themselves and their loved ones in recovery without risking their financial security.
I can attest to the need for a paid family and medical leave program as a retired clinical psychologist who worked with families, children, military members and senior citizens for nearly 30 years. I treated patients who were forced to forgo taking off the time they needed to care for themselves or a loved one because they simply couldn’t afford to. Sadly, this can result in health issues, both mental and physical, for patients and their loved ones.
Read more here: https://www.pilotonline.com/2024/05/28/column-paid-family-and-medical-leave-deserves-kiggans-support/
