Episode 49: Digging Deeper into Maine PFML and What Employers Are Asking

Episode 49: Digging Deeper into Maine PFML and What Employers Are Asking

In Part 2 of Take It or Leave It’s deep dive into Maine’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program, host Josh Seidman reconnects with Sarah Brydon to explore the nuanced issues shaping implementation. They break down key topics such as job protection, the program’s unique undue hardship provision, and what employers need to know about employee notice and operational planning. The episode also covers how Maine PFML coordinates with federal and state leave laws, employer-provided benefits, and PTO practices, including strategies for managing wage replacement and accruals. The conversation concludes with insights on private plan options and why paid family and medical leave programs continue to vary significantly across states, offering valuable perspective for employers navigating this evolving landscape. Read the full transcript here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Take-It-Or-Leave-It-Episode-49.pdf

Episode 48: Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave Has Arrived – A Discussion with Sarah Brydon

Host Josh Seidman welcomes Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) Claims Administration Division Director, Sarah Brydon, for a timely conversation on the rollout of Maine’s PFML program, which went live and began paying benefits to eligible employees in May 2026. Drawing on her experience helping build the program from the ground up, Sarah walks through key milestones and operational decisions, as well as early lessons learned since the program launched. Josh and Sarah’s discussion – the first of a two-part series – breaks down a number of notable substantive topics, including employee eligibility, amount of leave, covered reasons for use, wage replacement calculations, how PFML benefits are funded, and what employers and employees need to know to navigate the application process. In addition, this episode offers practical insights into Maine PFML claims administration and processing and outlines publicly available resources issued by the Maine Department of Labor. Read the full transcript here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/TIOLI-Episode-48.pdf

Episode 47: 2026 Paid Leave Legislative Trends and What They Mean for Employers

In Part Two of this two-part series, Josh Seidman and Dillon Clair shift their focus beyond Virginia to examine the broader national landscape of paid leave and leave of absence legislation in 2026. The discussion highlights activity and developments in states like Hawaii, Illinois, and Pennsylvania, where momentum continues to build through evolving proposals, amendments, and ongoing legislative debate. The episode also explores emerging trends shaping the future of paid leave, including expanding definitions of covered family members, growing political influence on policy outcomes, and a marked increase in legislative activity nationwide. Josh and Dillon close with insights on federal efforts to harmonize the state patchwork of paid leave, offering practical perspective for employers navigating an increasingly complex compliance environment. Read the full transcript: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Take-It-or-Leave-It-Episode-47-D-Clair-Part-Two.pdf

Episode 46: Vetoed No More – Virginia’s New Paid Leave Landscape

In the first episode of 2026, Take It Or Leave It host Josh Seidman is joined by Dillon Clair of the ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) to unpack the latest developments shaping the paid leave landscape. Together, they explore how Virginia emerged as a focal point this year, enacting both paid family medical leave and paid sick and safe leave laws after years of legislative momentum and prior vetoes. The conversation dives into key provisions of Virginia’s new laws, including timelines, employer compliance considerations, and evolving definitions of “family member”—a critical issue for multi-state employers. Josh and Dillon also preview other states to watch in 2026, offering practical insights to help employers stay proactive amid an increasingly complex and rapidly shifting regulatory environment. Read the full transcript here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/Take-It-or-Leave-It-Episode-46.pdf

Episode 45: AI Meets Leave Management: An Innovative Approach to Leaves Administration

AI’s growth continues unabated, with AI agents embedding in workplaces and seeking to make life easier across industries. To explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping leaves of absence and disability administration, host Josh Seidman sits down with Angie Brown, Strategic Sales Director at Ushur. Together, they navigate the evolution of technology in this space and discuss how new solutions can become part of the administrative process for employers, carriers, and TPAs. Their conversation dives into Ushur’s two flagship tools, including agentic AI, and how certain organizations are leveraging these tools to navigate different aspects of leaves of absence – collecting sensitive personal data, communications with employees, medical certifications, return to work, etc. – within their workforce or for their customers. They also explore additional practical applications for this type of software, and take a look ahead to what’s on the horizon for AI-driven leave management. Read the full transcript of this episode here: https://www.seyfarth.com/dir_docs/podcast_transcripts/TIOLI_Episode45.pdf