Dear Stakeholder,
Now that we are halfway through 2022 and fast-approaching the start of FAMLI premium deductions on January 1, 2023, we’d like to provide a high-level status report of our progress in building a FAMLI program that serves both Colorado employers and workers alike.
Operations
We continue to build out and refine the employer portal which employers will use to register, submit wage reports and remit premium payments to the Division come January 1, 2023. The first round of user testing is happening now, and we are on track to roll out the system in waves to small groups of local governments, third-party administrators and employers starting in October 2022. This approach will allow us to provide a high level of hands-on customer service to these groups and capture many employers before the system deploys to the general public on January 1, 2023.
Policy: Rules and Regs
Benefits
Our proposed benefits rules were filed at the end of June and can be viewed on our adopted/proposed rules page. The final adopted benefits rules will drive the requirements of a private plan (private plans must meet or exceed the state plan per existing statute).
The public comment period is now open and the public hearing is set for Tuesday, August 2 at 5 p.m. The community is encouraged to share their comments on the proposed rules by emailing CDLE_FAMLI_RULES@state.co.us or by filling out this form. The public comment period will close three days later on Friday, August 5, 2022 at 5 p.m. The public hearing will be virtual only and you can sign up to provide testimony here.
Private Plans
Our next priority for rulemaking is drafting the proposed rules for private plans. While we have yet to share draft rules, we have held a number of listening sessions on key issues brought forward by the business community.
Among the items for consideration based on employer feedback:
A phased-in approach to this set of rules in order to give employers an ample amount of time to shop for and make a decision in regards to whether they will apply for an exemption with the use of an equal or greater private plan. This would require a surety bond.
OR
Premium collection from all private employers starting January 1, 2023, with the option to apply for a private plan exemption at a later date. The Division would refund the employer the amount of premiums paid up until their private plan is approved.
These regulations will be outlined in further detail in our draft of proposed private plan rules which we hope to file by the end of July.
Coordination of Benefits
The rules for coordination of benefits, such as how FAMLI interacts with UI, Workers Comp and other wage replacement programs and job protection laws will be filed by the end of August.
Other rules
Program integrity rules and any amendments to premium and local government rules will be filed by the end of September.
Communication and Outreach
Our webinar series, newsletters and employer presentations have comprised phase one of our outreach. Accomplishments to date:
- 16 private presentations with various employers and business organizations (20-200 participants in each session)
- Live webinars = 200-500+ participants; Recorded webinars = 7,100+ views
- Monthly newsletters = 84,000+ opens
Coming up…
Regional town hall series launches later this month. Our stops include Greeley, Durango, Grand Junction, Lamar, La Junta, Pueblo and Colorado Springs. More details and RSVP instructions will be shared soon on our website.
We have fresh content on a variety of social channels including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Be sure to follow us!