The Massachusetts legislature has expanded the reasons employees can use Massachusetts Earned Sick Time through provisions in a larger bill entitled, “An Act Promoting Access to Midwifery Care and Out-of-Hospital Birth Options.”  Employees may now use Massachusetts Earned Sick Time to “address the employee’s own physical and mental health needs, and those of their spouse, if the employee or the employee’s spouse experiences pregnancy loss or a failed assisted reproduction, adoption or surrogacy.”

These new conditions are in addition to the current reasons employees can use Massachusetts Earned Sick Time:

• To care for the employee’s child, spouse, parent, or parent of a spouse, who is suffering from a physical or mental illness, injury, or medical condition that requires home care, professional medical diagnosis or care, or preventative medical care;
• To care for the employee’s own physical or mental illness, injury or medical condition that requires home care, professional medical diagnosis or care or preventative medical care;
• To attend the employee‘s routine medical appointment or a routine medical appointment for the employee’s child, spouse or parent;
• To address the psychological, physical or legal effects of domestic violence against the employee or employee’s child; or
• To travel to and from an appointment, pharmacy or other location necessary for the purposes of using Earned Sick Time.

The change to the law will take effect November 21, 2024. Employers will want to ensure that their policies are up to date and that they allow employees to use their Massachusetts Earned Sick Time for this new purpose.