New York State has decided to extend the life of its COVID-19 Vaccination Leave. Originally designed to end on December 31, 2022, the resurgence of a new COVID-19 variant and the possibility of another booster after the year’s end has forced states to rethink their COVID-19 measures. New York State has decided to give employees additional aid in a time where mask and vaccine mandates may make a return. As such, COVID-19 Vaccination Leave has been extended through December 31, 2023. 

As a reminder, COVID-19 Vaccination Leave provides up to 4 hours of paid leave for an employee (per injection) for the purposes of receiving a COVID-19 vaccination injection or for recovering from a vaccination injection. This leave cannot be counted against any other leave the employee would otherwise be entitled to. 

Employers should review their COVID-19 Vaccination Leave policies and ensure that it does not phase out on December 31, 2022. Employers should also be prepared to have further extensions in the future, as the unpredictability of COVID-19 may make vaccination leave necessary in 2024.