1. United States
2. Ore.
3. Letter

Due to unfortunate budget cuts at my employer, I was let go in January of this year from my W2 position just two months before the birth of my child. I had been anticipating using the Paid Leave Oregon program, but found that despite working continuously within the state as a W2 employee since 2018 and contributing towards the program the entire six years, the three month gap due to budgetary decisions outside my control has resulted in losing access to the Paid Leave time to help bond with my newborn child and support my spouse during their recovery. While I immediately attempted to find gainful W2 employment, I was unsuccessful in finding a W2 position before the birth. Additionally, despite securing a temporary self-employment contract overlapping the time of the birth, I subsequently found that self-employed use of Paid Leave Oregon has entirely different requirements before use, and does not credit or recognize accumulated W2 benefits accrued for the program. I know I am far from the only individual who has lost valuable use of this program, one I helped pay into for the better part of the last decade, and so I am urging you to please amend the Paid Leave Oregon laws to allow for coverage for recent no-fault employer separations, and to allow recognition and credit for recent W2 employment under the Self-employment program and vice versa when determining eligibility for benefits. I hope that you will act to help ensure other Oregonians are not losing access to this invaluable program due to technicalities and management decisions out of their control, especially in this time of economic and political turmoil.