In New York, which leave program applies depends on who is sick

If you're the one who's sick, that's FMLA and short-term disability. Paid Family Leave is for caring for someone else, not for you. Below: which form each program uses, and who completes the medical section — the part Certicare handles, completed and signed by a state-licensed provider.

What qualifies for FMLA in New York?

FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) is federal, so New York doesn't change it. It's unpaid, job-protected leave — up to 12 workweeks in a 12-month period. It covers your own serious health condition, and care for a spouse, child, parent, or another qualifying family member.

Unpaid is the part people miss. Job protection is not income. That's why FMLA usually runs alongside a New York benefit instead of replacing one.

Three things have to be true to qualify: you've worked for your employer at least 12 months, you have at least 1,250 hours of service in the 12 months before leave starts, and your employer has at least 50 employees within 75 miles of your worksite. The 1,250-hour test works out to a little over 24 hours actually worked per week; PTO and leave time generally don't count toward it.

You don't have to take it in one block. When it's medically necessary, FMLA can be taken intermittently — separate blocks of time, or a reduced schedule.

Does New York Paid Family Leave cover my own illness?

No. It doesn't, and the name is why so many people file the wrong claim first.

New York Paid Family Leave covers bonding with a new child, caring for a family member with a serious health condition, and military deployment situations. Your own illness isn't on that list. In 2026 it pays 67% of your average weekly wage, up to $1,228.53 a week, for up to 12 weeks. You qualify after 26 consecutive weeks if you work 20 or more hours a week, or after 175 days worked if you work fewer.

If you're sick or injured yourself, PFL is the wrong door. The New York program built for that is short-term disability, and it's next.

How does short-term disability work in New York?

New York short-term disability, usually called DBL, covers your own injury or illness that did not arise from your job. The claim form is the DB-450, "Notice and Proof of Claim for Disability Benefits."

The form has two halves. Part A is yours. Part B is the Health Care Provider's Statement: diagnosis, treatment dates, disability status. A health care provider is asked to complete and return it within seven days.

Know what it pays before you count on it.

It pays 50% of your average weekly wage from your last eight weeks worked, capped at $170 a week, for up to 26 weeks in any 52-week period. There's also a seven-day waiting period — benefits start on the eighth consecutive day of disability. That $170 ceiling is why the job protection FMLA gives you usually matters more than the check.

One thing DBL does not cover: an injury that happened at work. That goes through workers' compensation instead, which is a separate system with its own forms and deadlines.

One date matters more than the rest: submit the completed claim within 30 calendar days of the first day of disability, or you can lose benefits.

The three programs, side by side

Can you file FMLA and short-term disability together?

Yes. FMLA, state benefits, and your employer's own leave process can overlap, and they often run concurrently. FMLA is the one that is unpaid, so it usually runs alongside a New York benefit that pays. Neither cancels the other out.

What can't overlap is PFL and short-term disability. You can't take those at the same time, and together they cap at 26 weeks in any 52-week period.

And the rule has edges. Someone can be sick and caring for a parent in the same year, or move from disability into bonding leave after a birth, or need a return-to-work form at the end. If your situation spans two programs, it's the dates that separate them, not the diagnosis.

So the question was never which single program you're allowed to pick. It's who is sick.

Which form do I need: DB-450, PFL-4, or my employer's FMLA form?

Your own illness, New York disability benefits: the DB-450. You complete Part A. A health care provider completes Part B.

Caring for a family member under PFL: the PFL-1 (you and your employer), the PFL-3 (Release of Information), and the PFL-4 (Health Care Provider Certification). Read the PFL-4 carefully — it certifies your family member's health condition, not yours.

Bonding with a new child: the PFL-1 and the PFL-2. No certification of your own condition is involved.

FMLA has no single national form. It's whatever certification your employer or leave administrator sent you. A complete and sufficient certification has to be accepted regardless of format, but using your employer's form is often the clearest way to provide every item requested and reduce follow-up.

Can Certicare complete a PFL-4?

Yes — and it works differently from every other form on this page, in a way worth understanding before you start.

The PFL-4 certifies your family member's serious health condition, not yours. So on a family care case, the person you're caring for is the patient. They go through intake, and a state-licensed provider evaluates them and completes the certification.

New York also requires form PFL-3, the Release of Information, signed before any medical detail can be shared.

The completed PFL-4 comes back by email. One step people miss: you give the PFL-1 to your employer, then send the completed package to your employer's insurance carrier within 30 days of the start of your leave. Miss that and the carrier can deny the request.

Who fills out the medical section — and what if my doctor won't?

You fill in your own part: dates, employer, what happened. The clinical section is completed and signed by a state-licensed provider. On the DB-450 that's Part B; on an FMLA packet it's the certification pages.

That handoff is where a lot of people get stuck. Some urgent care clinics decline employer paperwork entirely. A primary office may take it on, but the next open appointment can land after the deadline.

Certicare was built for that gap. You answer a short online questionnaire, usually with no appointment to book, and a state-licensed provider reviews your answers and completes the medical section of the certification or leave form your employer or leave administrator sent you. A provider may follow up for more detail before deciding. Paying starts the review; it does not guarantee a signature, and if the review does not support your request you are refunded in full.

How do I apply for FMLA in New York?

Tell your employer you need leave and ask for the certification paperwork. From there the clocks start, and they're all short.

For FMLA, you generally have 15 calendar days to return the certification — unless that isn't practicable despite diligent good-faith efforts, or your employer allows more time. If your employer says your certification is incomplete or insufficient, it has to tell you in writing what's missing and generally allow seven calendar days to fix it.

For DBL, the claim goes in within 30 calendar days of your first day of disability, and the provider is asked to return Part B within seven days. Those two clocks are separate, so track them separately.

What does Certicare cost, and how does the form get back to me?

The completed form arrives by email, usually within 24 hours after we have everything needed. There's no waiting room and, usually, no appointment to book. More on pricing and refunds is in the FAQ.

If your employer or leave administrator wants to verify the document, they can email us at hello@certicare.org.