County Council unanimously approved a paid parental leave policy Monday that will allow new parents employed by the county six weeks of paid leave after the birth or adoption of a child.
Summit County is the first county in Ohio to provide the benefit.
The legislation, passed in a 10-0 vote, will also provide three weeks of paid leave to parents if the child dies in the final trimester of pregnancy or is stillborn.
It will allow paid leave for six straight calendar weeks to parents, both men and women, starting when the child is born or adopted.
To be eligible, parents must be employed by the county at least 12 months and have worked 60 percent of the time on their job. The employees must be a biological parent or legally adopt a child who lives with them, and the parent must provide documentation of the birth or adoption.
Under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), employees are allowed to take up to 12 unpaid weeks off after the birth of a child. Previously, county employees had to use all their sick and vacation time and then use FMLA for unpaid leave.
The county’s previous bereavement policy provided five days taken from vacation and sick days.
The new policy also states if the child dies within those 6 weeks of paid leave, the employee will still receive that full time off.
The cost for the parental leave policy is estimated at $50,000 per year, according to county officials.
Staff writer Rick Armon contributed to this report. Theresa Cottom can be reached at 330-996-3216 or tcottom@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @Theresa_Cottom .