This is a reminder that New York State has extended its COVID-19 Vaccination Leave for employees into calendar year 2023. Passed during the height of COVID-19, this leave allows employees to take up to four hours of paid leave (at the employee’s regular rate of pay) per shot for the purposes of receiving a vaccination or booster against COVID-19. This leave was originally intended to sunset on December 31, 2022. However, the leave has been extended into 2023, so employees are still able to take vaccination leave in the event the new year provides another booster.

Employers should be aware that the terms of the leave have not been altered: leave must be compensated at the employee’s regular rate of pay and employees may not be required to use other available PTO before exhaustion of this leave. Employers need not materially alter their leave policy, but should still be sure to alert employees to their eligibility for Vaccination Leave.