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FAMLI Newsletter

April 28, 2023

The April 2023 edition of the FAMLI newsletter from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) is here. This newsletter brings you significant updates related to Colorado's paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program. Remember you can customize your newsletter settings by subscribing to specific topics, and you can also get these updates sent directly to your cell phone, just add your mobile number to your subscription preferences, and select SMS/text message.

The Private Plan Marketplace is Open!

Together with the Colorado Division of Insurance, we have approved the first two private insurance carriers offering Family and Medical Leave Insurance! Standard Insurance Co. and ShelterPoint Life Insurance Company are now visible in the private plan application within My FAMLI+ Employer. Employers can expect more private options to be added in the coming weeks! We’ve got a list of pending insurance carriers published on our Private Plan page showing the progress of the private plan marketplace. Employers can also learn everything they need to know about getting approval to use private insurance or self-insurance in the Employer Guide to Private Plans.

Virtual Town Hall: Watch The Recording

We wrapped up another virtual town hall this week and ended on a high note with an overwhelming response and lots of insightful questions. Many questions during yesterday's session were about S-corps and sole proprietorships. Remember, FAMLI compliance doesn’t change based on business structure. Instead, what matters is whether your business has employees that meet the FAMLI definition of employee. Check out FAMLI’s Small Business Corner for more details. 

If you missed it, don't worry you can refer back to the slide deck and the recording on our webinars page. 

Make sure you’re subscribed for updates and follow our event calendar on our homepage to join us for future webinars, town halls and other opportunities to hear our FAMLI experts speak about the program and answer your questions.

Facebook Live

If we didn’t get to your question during our town hall, you can still connect with us via Facebook Live! Twice a month, we address commonly asked questions received during the week, as well as questions from our live audience. Our recent sessions have covered various trending topics, including:

1. Paying premiums as an employer
2. Having a baby this year and eligibility of receiving FAMLI benefits in 2024
3. Responsibilities of S-Corp business owners

Time is running out! Employers Must Register in order to Submit Wage Reports and Pay Premiums on Time!

Attention all business owners! The deadline for submitting wage reports and paying premiums is right around the corner. If you have at least one employee in Colorado you must register your business in My FAMLI+ Employer! To make the registration process hassle-free, we have a variety of resources including how-to videos and quick reference guides on our My FAMLI+ Employer page.

Keep in mind that premium payments are due quarterly, with the first payment to FAMLI due on April 30, 2023. To offer some flexibility, FAMLI is providing a 30-day grace period before payments will be considered late. This grace period is reflected on your dashboard in My FAMLI+ Employer, which indicates May 31, 2023, as the initial deadline. Don't wait until the last minute, get it done today.

Once registration is complete, employers must submit wage reports for all wages paid in Q1 2023. This will determine the employer’s total premium payment for the quarter. All this can be done within My FAMLI+ Employer or by using API technology. Please refer to our Wage Reporting API Specifications for API instructions. Employers can either report wages for individual employees in My FAMLI+ Employer or upload a bulk wage report file. We have file specifications and sample file templates available on our Employers page, just click on the “Submitting Your Wage Reports'' section.

File Specifications have been updated!

We recently updated the file specifications and sample file templates for bulk registration and wage reports. We encourage Employers and Third Party Administrators (TPAs) to refer to the updated files for single-file wage reporting, bulk wage reporting and bulk registration before submitting your wage reports. 

A quick reminder for TPAs: business email addresses are no longer required on your bulk registration file or API Integration. While business emails are now an optional field, we highly recommend including a valid business email address for each employer you serve. This will ensure your employer clients can easily get access to their My FAMLI+ Employer account after you complete the bulk registration. If you do not have an email address for your clients, please leave this field blank. You can find the requirements for your files and sample file templates on our TPA page.

Call us if you need individualized assistance getting this done! We’re here to help you between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at 1-866-CO-FAMLI (1-866-263-2654).

Attention Colorado families! Are you expecting a new child in 2023?

You may be eligible for paid bonding leave in 2024 under the FAMLI program. FAMLI benefits are not dependent on any earlier benefits already taken before FAMLI benefits become available. So, if you take any time off in 2023 (paid or unpaid) to care for a new child, that won’t affect your eligibility for paid FAMLI benefits in 2024. FAMLI allows individuals to take up to 12 weeks of bonding leave during the first year of a child’s birth. Check out our latest blog post for more details.

Health Care Provider Portal Coming Soon!

The FAMLI health care provider portal is coming soon! This system will enable health care providers to register in the FAMLI benefits application system, certify their patients’ claims and make recommendations for leave duration based on a patient’s condition or treatment plan. Registering directly in the system will allow providers to provide an elevated patient experience by supporting them and their families when a serious health condition prevents them from working.

We anticipate launching the health care provider portal towards the end of the summer. Once it’s ready, we’ll have step-by-step user guides and how-to videos published on our Health Care Providers page to support you and your staff through the process. In the meantime, we encourage you to subscribe here to get updates related to our health care provider portal as soon as they are available.

Event highlights: COSHRM’s Day at the Capitol

FAMLI team participated in COSHRM's Day at the Capitol event, which took place at the History Colorado Center earlier this month. This event allowed our FAMLI leaders to connect with HR professionals, share information about the implementation process, and learn more about the HR challenges facing Colorado businesses. 

We enjoyed engaging in insightful conversations and networking with attendees, and we appreciate the warm welcome we received. Thank you to COSHRM for hosting this event, and we look forward to future opportunities to connect with the HR community in Colorado!

Share Your Story With Us!

We want to hear your personal stories. Please tell us how FAMLI could have or will help you. This month we’re featuring a story shared with us from Kianna:

"When I was pregnant with my eldest, I worked for a large corporation but they offered no maternity leave. They had the bare minimum, FMLA coverage, but my leave was completely unpaid. At 7 months pregnant, while driving to work, I was hit by another vehicle. I received a monetary settlement from the at-fault party's insurance. It was only because of that settlement that I was able to take my "full" six weeks of maternity leave. It's a sick joke that I ended up being 'lucky' enough to get hit by a car so I could afford to take leave with my newborn." – Kianna

People Are Asking

Q: What is FAMLI's debit block/originator company ID number to set up ACH payments?

A:  The company ID that identifies ACH debits to employer accounts is 4840802678. A prenote is not required for ACH credit payments. If you are asked by your bank to provide FAMLI's name and address, please provide the following information:

Division of Family and Medical Leave Insurance
PO BOX 5070
Denver, CO 80217-5070

Q: What if I change my business name or close my business?

A: You are required to update FAMLI of business closers, mergers or sales within 10 days of the changes. We are currently updating the functionality in My FAMLI+ Employer to allow employers to identify such business closures. We expect that system-wide upgrade to be complete by the end of May. In the meantime, please report any wages paid during Q1 2023. It is okay if you have to report zero wages for certain dates within the quarter based on when your business closed.

Q: How do I fix a typo on my account after it has already been registered?

A: Log into your My FAMLI+ Employer account to make those changes. You can also contact our call center, and we can make those changes on your behalf. Just call 1-866-CO-FAMLI (1-866-263-2654) between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Q: How does an employer or TPA edit a submitted wage report?

A: You can do this by uploading a new bulk wage report with the corrected information like wrong address, account name, total employees, etc. As long as the dates are the same on the new file as they were on the old file and the ITIN/SSNs are the same, the new file will overwrite the information in the existing file. Alternatively, you can also make corrections individually by manually adding wages for new employees directly in My FAMLI+ Employer. From your dashboard, just go to ‘'Wages' > and select 'Add Wages.' Check out our Quick Reference Guide For Reporting Wages for step-by-step instructions. If you need additional support, please call our call center, and we’ll walk you through it. 

Q: Are military spouses exempt from paying FAMLI premiums under the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act?

A: Military spouses are not exempt from contributing to FAMLI because FAMLI premiums are considered a fee and not a tax. Thus the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act doesn’t grant an exemption.

Q:  How will FAMLI deductions apply if an employee is working more than one job at a time?

A: This depends on the type of jobs the individual is doing simultaneously. If both jobs are with employers participating in FAMLI (not an opted out local government, not a private employer using an approved private plan, and not an employer choosing to cover the employee’s share of the premium), then this individual would see the FAMLI deduction on each paycheck from each employer. When benefits become available in 2024, this individual would have to identify which jobs they are requesting to take leave from. 

Join the FAMLI Family!

We’re hiring! The FAMLI Division has several positions open, as we continue to grow our family. We’re looking for dedicated individuals who are dedicated to serving the citizens of Colorado and share our passion for quality and excellence in all we do. Some of our open positions include a Claims Management Supervisor, Director of Operational Shared Services and more. If you or someone you know is open to new opportunities, please share this link with your networks. Explore our job openings and start the application process today!