As the State seeks an 18-Month delay to its Family Leave program, MACo and its partners will host a webinar to discuss the process ahead, both generally and for those counties joining a Collaborative to meet these needs through a joint private alternative option.

As reported earlier on Conduit Street, the Maryland Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced that they are proposing an 18-month delay in implementation of Maryland’s Time to Care Act (TCA).

Key new dates would be:

• January 1, 2027 – Employer/employee contributions begin for the State TCA plan
• January 1, 2028 – Benefits begin for all employers

Note that the proposed changes will require legislative action by the Maryland General Assembly in the coming weeks.

Please join us on March 7th from 10:00–11:30 for a webinar for the MABE/MACo/MML Collaborative members to discuss important updates regarding the potential delay, including:

• Updated timeline for Collaborative RFP for private insurance coverage
• Potential new dates for implementation milestones / key next steps for employers
• Process for opting out of the State Time to Care Act Plan
• The Collaborative’s advocacy for members of the Maryland Legislature and DOL
• Potential timeframe for final regulations from DOL
• Broader considerations on administrative, financial, and workforce issues related to the Time to Care Act

Reserve your spot for the webinar.

County governments that have not yet signed their intentions to join the collaborative remain welcome to register, to benefit from the information MACo and its partners have assembled on the process going forward.

We look forward to seeing you on March 7th at 10:00.