Federal Paid Sick Days

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Federal Paid Sick Days
Location Federal
Organization Human Impact Partners, San Francisco Department of Public Health

The HIA addressed the federal Healthy Families Act of 2009 and was a continuation of the work completed as part of a similar HIA in California. The bill would have entitled all employees to accrue paid sick time at a rate of no less than one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked, up to nine days per year. An employee would be entitled to use accrued time for diagnosis, care or treatment of health conditions of the employee or an employee's family member; or for leave related to domestic violence or sexual assault. The pathways and health issues explored include, the spread of communicable diseases, such as influenza and stomach flu, through workers at restaurants, schools and nursing homes; the impacts of loss of salary and employer retaliation for missing work on income and stress; and the potential effects on rates of emergency room use and delayed medical care. The HIA recommended passing the bill, but limiting the exceptions given to small businesses.

The HIA helped shift the policy debate to include health outcomes. For example, an author of the HIA was invited to address a House of Representatives sub-committee regarding the health impacts of the bill.

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The Health Impact Project’s toolkit contains resources that help communities, agencies, and other organizations take action to improve public health. The toolkit offers a collection of health impact assessments, guides, and other research to support policymakers’ efforts to consider health when making decisions across sectors, such as housing, planning, and education.

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At A Glance
  • Status:
    Completed
  • Publication date:
    2009, September
  • Decision-making levels:
    Federal
  • Sectors:
    Labor and employment
  • Additional topic areas:
    Human resources policies, benefits, Food and nutrition, Legislation, Mental/behavioral health, Wages
  • Drivers of health:
    Employment, Income and wealth
  • Affected populations:
    Chronic health conditions, Economically disadvantaged
  • Research methods:
    Literature review, Primary research, Qualitative research, Quantitative research, Focus groups
  • Funding source:
    Other funding