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Virginia Paid Family & Medical Leave: Do You Qualify?
Virginia enacted a paid family and medical leave program in April 2026, making it the first state in the South to do so. It isn't paying benefits yet. That starts in 2028.
- Status
- Not yet active
- Enacted
- April 2026
- Contributions begin
- April 2028
- Benefits begin
- December 1, 2028
What's coming, and when
The law sets payroll contributions to begin in April 2028, with benefits first payable on December 1, 2028. As designed, the program will provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave, replacing around 80% of an average worker's wages, and it's written to reach nearly all employers.
That's a couple of years out, so for now protected leave in Virginia runs through federal FMLA and existing state law. Checking your federal eligibility today is the practical move.
The only way to know where you land is to run your own numbers: your tenure, hours, employer size, and reason for leave all move the answer. Leavely's free assessment walks through it in a couple of minutes and shows both whether you'll be paid and whether your job is protected.
Start your free Virginia leave assessment →