MD HB824

Summary of HB 824: Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program - Alternatively Qualified Individuals

• Creates a new category of "alternatively qualified individual" for workers who have earned at least $7,200 in total lifetime wages in Maryland but don't meet the standard 680-hour requirement for covered employee status.

• Alternatively qualified individuals may claim benefits starting July 1, 2027, but only for caring for or bonding with a child during the first year after birth or placement through foster care, kinship care, or adoption.

• Benefits for alternatively qualified individuals are limited to a one-time payment of $2,000 per application year (adjusted annually for inflation), with eligibility for subsequent payments requiring an additional $7,200 in accumulated wages.

• Employers must allow alternatively qualified individuals who are employed and approved for benefits to take up to 6 weeks of unpaid leave for the approved purpose.

• Advances the Secretary of Labor's required annual cost analysis of the Program from November 15, 2026 to November 15, 2025.