Leadership Guide

There will be times when an associate needs time away from work, either for themselves or to care for a family member. When associates need to take a leave of absence (LOA), managers and People Partners play a big role in making sure everything runs smoothly. Paid benefits may be available while on an approved leave of absence. Refer associates to the LOA overview page via One.Walmart.com/LOA for more information.
If you’re eligible, this type of leave lets you take up to 12 weeks of job-protected time away from work for a qualifying reason. These can include:
- Your own serious medical condition or that of a family member
- Birth, adoption, or foster care placement
- Military family care or a family member’s military active duty
The details are defined by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), so for more information, see the Family and Medical Leave Act policy. You’re eligible for this type of leave if you have:
- Worked for the company for 12 months; and
- Worked at least 1,250 hours in the 12 months before your leave begins.
Some states also provide leave options for family and medical needs with different reasons, durations, and eligibility requirements. Look for State and local leave below to see if your state or city has a leave program and learn more.
Several states have their own laws for job-protected, paid time away from work for personal and family reasons. Keep in mind that even if you access a leave program through your state, you’ll also need to visit mySedgwick.com to request a Walmart leave of absence.
The summaries below are provided for informational purposes only. Your state determines eligibility for benefits and benefit amounts under any state program, and these may change over time. Please refer to your state’s website for complete and current details.
California Paid Family Leave (CA PFL) and California State Disability Insurance (CA SDI)
California offers paid time away from work for the following reasons:
- California Paid Family Leave (CA PFL) offers up to eight weeks of paid time away from work to welcome a new child, care for family members with medical needs, or take leave because of a family member’s military deployment.
- California State Disability Insurance (CA SDI) offers up to 52 weeks of paid time away from work if you have a non-work-related illness, injury, or pregnancy.
To access these programs, apply directly on the state’s website.
Colorado Family and Medical Leave Insurance (CO FAMLI)
Colorado Family and Medical Leave Insurance (CO FAMLI) offers paid, job-protected time to eligible associates through the state to:
- Welcome a new child into their family (through birth, adoption, or foster care).
- Take time away due to their own serious health condition.
- Take care of a family member with a serious illness or injury.
- Take time off for certain military-connected events.
- Take time off because they or a family member are the victim of domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault or abuse.
Associates on qualified leave may receive up to 12 weeks of paid benefits from the state. An extra 4 weeks may be available from the state for associates needing more time away due to a serious health condition related to pregnancy or childbirth complications.
Walmart Benefits will be reduced by the amount associates are eligible to receive from the state regardless of whether they apply for their state benefit.
*Important* Associates must apply both with Sedgwick and with the state.
Please see:
- Associate Benefits Book and Walmart’s Colorado Leave of Absence Policy for coordination of Walmart and state specific benefits.
- Colorado Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program website for more details and to apply for benefits.
Connecticut Paid Leave (CTPL)
This paid leave program offers up to 12 weeks of time away from work to welcome a new child, care for yourself, or care for your family. It also offers an additional two weeks for incapacitation due to pregnancy.
If the regular Walmart benefit is greater than what the state offers, Walmart will supplement the state benefit with paid benefits through Sedgwick to equal your full pay. The total paid benefits between both programs will not exceed 100% of your income before your leave.
To access the program, apply directly on the state’s website.
Delaware Paid Family and Medical Leave (DE PFML)
The Delaware Paid Family Leave (PFML) Benefit will begin January 1, 2026, with payroll deductions to begin January 1, 2026. The program provides 12 weeks of paid, job protected leave for eligible associates that work in Delaware. The leave program covers reasons such as bonding with a new child, caring for a family member, for your own health condition, or to assisting loved ones are overseas on a military deployment.
For additional information, you can go to website.
District of Columbia Paid Family Leave (DC PFL) is a paid leave program that gives eligible associates in the District of Columbia (DC) time away from work to welcome a new child, care for themselves, and care for their family members in certain circumstances. These benefits were updated on Oct. 1, 2022. Associates are eligible if they've spent more than 50% of their working hours in the district, with no requirements for minimum hours or length of service. Paid Family leave provides up to 12 weeks to bond with a new child, 12 weeks to care for a family member with a serious health condition, 12 weeks for the associate’s own serious health condition, and two (2) weeks to receive prenatal care (these two workweeks are included as part of the 12 weeks of paid medical leave). If the associate is eligible for the WM benefits, Sedgwick and Walmart will coordinate with the district to make up any difference between the DC benefit and 100% of an associate's pay.
Hawaii Temporary Disability Insurance (HI TDI)
This paid leave program offers up to 26 weeks of time away from work if you have a non-work-related injury or sickness, including recovery from pregnancy.
To access the program, contact Sedgwick at 800-492-5678 or mySedgwick.com.
Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave (ME PFML)
The Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) Benefit will begin May 1, 2026, with payroll deductions to begin January 1, 2025. The program provides 12 weeks of paid, job protected leave for eligible associates that work in Maine. The leave program covers reasons such as bonding with a new child, caring for a family member, for your own health condition, or to assisting loved ones are overseas on a military deployment.
For additional information, you can go to the state Website.
Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)
This paid leave program offers time away from work to bond with a new child or to care for yourself and your family members during difficult times. It offers:
- Up to 12 weeks to welcome a new child through birth, adoption, or foster care placement.
- Up to 20 weeks if you have a serious illness or injury.
- Up to 12 weeks to care for a relative with a serious illness or injury.
- Up to 26 weeks to care for a family member who is a covered service member.
- Up to 12 weeks to provide support when a family member is on active military duty or has been notified of an impending order to active duty.
- A combined maximum of 26 weeks if you qualify for more than one type of benefit.
If the regular Walmart benefit is greater than what the state offers, Walmart will supplement the state benefit with paid benefits through Sedgwick to equal your full pay. The total paid benefits between both programs will not exceed 100% of your income before your leave.
To access the program, apply directly on the state’s website.
New Hampshire Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance (NH PFML) is a new voluntary statewide program, administered through MetLife Insurance, that allows individuals to take paid time off for some of life's most important moments
Enrollment
All associates who work in New Hampshire are eligible to enroll in NH PFML and may do so during the state's annual open enrollment by visiting the state's website at https://www.paidfamilymedicalleave.nh.gov/enroll-now. New hires may also be eligible to join NH PFML mid-year by visiting the state's website.
Premium payments
Associates who enroll in NH PFML will have contributions deducted from their paycheck. The contribution rate will be determined by MetLife on an individual basis and will be communicated to both the associate and Walmart. Associate contributions into this program will be through payroll deductions up to a biweekly maximum of $10.00.
Uses of NH PFML
Enrolled associates will become eligible to use the benefits seven (7) months after the effective date of their coverage for up to six (6) weeks per benefit year after up to a 7-calendar day waiting period for the following reasons:
- Own serious health condition, including childbirth
- Bond with a child during the first year of birth or placement for adoption or foster care
- Care for a family member with a serious health condition
- Qualifying urgent demand or need arising out of the fact that the worker's spouse, child or parent is a covered military service member on covered active duty
- To care for a covered military service member with a serious injury or illness
Coordination with Other Benefits
NH PFML runs concurrently with federal FMLA or a company personal leave when the associate is qualified for leave under both programs. However, an associate may not qualify for NH PFML on the same day that they qualify for a Walmart benefit. MetLife may require usage of all paid leave (except for 7 days), as applicable to the reason for leave, before NH PFML is paid.
Resources
- New Hampshire Paid Family Medical Leave (MetLife) - www.Metlife.com/new-hampshire
- New Hampshire Paid Family Medical Leave – www.paidfamilymedicalleave.nh.gov
New Jersey Family Leave Insurance (NJ FLI) and Temporary Disability Insurance (NJ TDI)
These paid leave programs offer time away from work to care for yourself or your family members in certain circumstances.
- Up to 12 weeks to care for a family member or bond with a newborn, newly adopted, or foster child.
- Up to 26 weeks for your own serious illness or injury.
To access these programs, contact Sedgwick at 800-492-5678 or mySedgwick.com.
New York Paid Family Leave (PFL)
This paid leave program offers up to 12 weeks of time away from work to welcome a new child, care for family members with medical needs, or take leave because of a family member’s military deployment.
To access these programs, contact Sedgwick at 800-492-5678 or mySedgwick.com.
Oregon Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance, also known as Paid Leave Oregon (PLO) offers paid, job-protected time to eligible associates through the state to:
- Welcome a new child through birth, adoption or foster care placement.
- Care for a family member with a serious health condition.
- Recover from a serious illness or injury.
- Cope with sexual assault, domestic violence, harassment, bias crimes, or stalking.
Associates on qualified leave may receive up to 12 weeks of paid benefits from the state in a 52-week period. An extra 2 weeks may be available for associates needing more time away due to pregnancy related issues.
Walmart Benefits will be reduced by the amount the associate is eligible to receive from the state regardless of whether the associate applies for their state benefit.
All associates based in Oregon have the option to request PTO and/or Protected PTO to be used with their Paid Leave Oregon (PLO) benefit. This is to provide an option for associates to achieve 100% wage replacement during their leave period.
It is mandatory for all salaried associates based in Oregon to monitor and record their Paid Time Off (PTO).
Please note, this requirement is not applicable to associates on FlexTO.
All associates utilizing FlexTO are permitted to apply a maximum of 14 days of FlexTO for each leave event. This time can be requested in half-day or full-day increments, depending on their needs.
Please see:
- Associate Benefits Book and Walmart’s Oregon Leave of Absence Policy for coordination of the Walmart and state specific benefits.
- Paid Leave Oregon website for more details and to apply for benefits. For more information on PTO or LOA policies and processes, call People Services at 800-421-1362.
Rhode Island Temporary Caregiver Insurance (RI TCI) and Temporary Disability Insurance (RI TDI)
These paid leave programs offer time away from work to care for yourself or your family members:
- Up to 30 weeks if you have a serious illness or injury.
- Up to 7 weeks to care for a seriously ill family member or to bond with a newborn child, adopted child, or foster child.
To access the program, apply directly on the state website: dlt.ri.gov/tdi.
Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave (WA PFML)
This paid leave program offers time away from work to welcome a new child, care for yourself, or care for your family. It provides:
- Up to 12 weeks of paid leave to care for yourself or a family member or to bond with a new child.
- Up to 16 weeks of total paid leave for family and medical events in one year.
- Up to 18 weeks of combined medical and family (child bonding) paid leave for complications due to pregnancy.
If the regular Walmart benefit is greater than what the state offers, Walmart will supplement the state benefit with paid benefits through Sedgwick to equal your full pay. The total paid benefits between both programs will not exceed 100% of your income before your leave.
To access the program, apply directly on the state’s website. You can also call the state’s dedicated PFML experts at 833-717-2273 or check out the Quick Reference Guide for more details.
To review the latest updates to our COVID-19 related time off policies, please visit the following links:
To find information about the vaccine, hear stories from other associates, and find your nearest vaccination site, visit One.Walmart.com/COVID19.
Military leave allows you to take time off work for your military service. You may be eligible for up to 30 days of pay per calendar year. After that, you may be eligible for up to 12 months of differential pay per continuous leave if your military pay is less than your Walmart pay. You’ll need to provide your military orders to receive pay.
For details, see the Military Leave policy.
If you need to be away for more than three days, Personal leave allows time away from work for a qualifying reason. These can include:
- Medical conditions (yours or a family member’s)
- Birth, adoption, or foster care placement
- Extended family member care
- Expatriate spouse/partner leave (related to international relocation)
- Military spouse/partner (to accompany your spouse/partner, or attend to family/personal matters if spouse/partner is a U.S. service member called to active duty or to care for a military spouse or partner
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) reassignment
- Educational Leave
- Bereavement (when more than three days are needed)
- Pharmacy education: Up to 52 weeks to pursue pharmacy education (Pharmacy interns only)
- Compelling reasons (e.g., natural disaster, legal concerns, housing/moving, etc.)
- Quarantine or isolate
Some types of leave are job-protected, which means you will be returned to your position or an equivalent position; however, your role may be filled temporarily until you return. For more details, see the Personal Leave of Absence Policy.
If an associate is taken out of work due to an on-the-job injury managed through Walmart Claims Services (WCS), they must also request a leave of absence with Sedgwick. Sedgwick will communicate a leave decision to the associate, their manager and their people partner, which may include paid benefit information, leave policy eligibility and/or job protection status, if eligible. Failure to report the leave could result in unexcused absences and a delay in eligible benefits.
For more information about the Workers’ Compensation process, please visit the WCS Toolkit.
Short-term disability pay:
If you have a serious medical condition requiring a leave for more than seven calendar days, you may qualify for short-term disability. This paid benefit can replace some or all of your income for up to 25 weeks after a waiting period of seven calendar days. When you apply for leave, your leave specialist will let you know if you’re eligible for short-term disability and help you file a claim. As a full-time hourly associate, you must have 12 months of employment to be eligible.
Maternity benefit
If you’re a new mother, this benefit provides up to nine weeks of protected paid time away from work at 100% of your average earnings (or base pay for salaried associates, or average daily pay for drivers) after an initial waiting period of seven calendar days. Because this benefit is part of your short-term disability coverage, you’ll need to file a claim with Sedgwick. It’s important to file before the baby’s due date to make sure your benefits are paid right away.
See the Associate Benefits Book for more information about your benefits and eligibility.
This benefit gives moms and dads up to 100% of your average earnings (or base pay for salaried associates, or average daily pay for drivers) while you’re on an approved parental leave for the birth, adoption, or foster-care placement of your child. If you’re a new mother, you may take parental leave immediately following your maternity benefit, for a longer continuous paid leave (when you use PTO to cover the seven-day waiting period).
- Salaried associates: Parental pay offers up to 12 weeks of paid time off. Combined with your maternity benefit, your total leave can add up to 22 weeks.
- Hourly and driver associates: Parental pay offers up to six weeks of paid time off. Combined with your maternity benefit, your total leave can add up to 16 weeks.
For more details, see the applicable parental pay policy on the people policies page.
Note: This policy applies to salaried and driver associates only.
If you need time away to care for a family member with a serious medical condition, family care leave provides up to 100% of your base pay for up to two weeks while you’re on approved family care leave.
For more details, see the Family Care Policy page.
Questions?
Check out the People Policies page to learn about these programs, or call the People Services team at 800-421-1362.