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Home / State guides / Vermont
THE VERMONT GUIDE

Parental leave
in Vermont.

Vermont offers voluntary family and medical leave insurance, plus separate unpaid leave protections. Participation and policy terms decide whether you receive pay.

Reviewed October 7, 2026 · Birth, adoption & foster placement
Other leave optionsOther paths to leave

Review current employer benefits and job protection before relying on a future or voluntary program.

Official program / source ↗
This is a starting-point guide for a state without a universal paid bonding program. It is not a complete inventory of every local ordinance, public-employer policy, or occupation-specific benefit. Use the linked agencies and your plan documents to verify those additional rights.

What could you be paid?

Voluntary FMLI is an insurance benefit with policy-specific duration, wage replacement, waiting periods and enrollment rules. It is not automatic statewide wage replacement.

Who may qualify?

Check whether your employer enrolled in FMLI or whether you obtained individual coverage. Individual coverage from the 2025 enrollment rollout began in January 2026.

What protects your job?

Vermont’s unpaid parental and family-leave law is separate from voluntary insurance. Check the current state eligibility rules, federal FMLA and your employer policy together.

Recovery leave and bonding

An existing short-term disability policy may replace income during certified pregnancy disability or recovery. It does not ordinarily pay a nonbirthing parent for bonding. Read exclusions, waiting periods and the policy’s coverage start date.

Notice, dates, and deadlines

There is no statewide bonding-payment application deadline to substitute for your employer’s requirements. Get the notice deadline, claim filing deadline, baby’s insurance-enrollment deadline and approved return date in writing.

How to apply

Obtain your policy and insurer’s claim instructions. Use the Vermont Labor Department’s current unpaid-leave guidance for the separate time-off request.

Before you choose your dates

Ask for one written timeline showing the source of pay and the protection for each part of your absence. Include prior leave used, any waiting period, employer top-up rules, health-premium payments, and the first scheduled workday after leave. The maximum listed above is not a personal approval.

Your application folder

  • Employer contact, work location, hire date, wage records and schedule.
  • Proof of birth or placement accepted by the program.
  • Medical certification only when the requested leave reason requires it.
  • Proposed dates, any split schedule, and the employer’s notice confirmation.
  • Submitted forms, receipt numbers, decisions, and appeal deadlines.

After approval, check whether continuing certifications or weekly claims are required. Report work, other payments and date changes accurately. A state payment approval does not automatically update the employer’s absence record.

Official sources & further reading

Source review: October 7, 2026. Rules can change; the administrator makes the final determination.