A few years ago, my middle daughter was born almost three months prematurely. I was able to spend every day in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit because I benefited from a flexible employer and our state’s Temporary Caregiver Insurance (TCI) program.
Fortunately, my daughter made a speedy recovery just as my paid leave expired, but I have never forgotten the families I left behind in that unit. It was haunting to know that other parents were being forced to choose between staying with a preemie receiving life-saving care or returning to work simply because their weeks of paid leave had run out. If those families lived in any of our neighboring states, they would have had more time. No one should ever have to make that choice, and we have the power to change it.
Rhode Island’s Temporary Caregiver Insurance (TCI) program provides workers with partial wage replacement when they need time away from work to bond with a new child or care for a seriously ill loved one. Importantly, TCI is not funded through general tax revenue or an employer. It is funded directly by Rhode Island workers through employee payroll contributions into the state’s Temporary Disability Insurance system. Workers pay into this safety net so they can access it during some of the most important and difficult moments in their lives.
While we should celebrate recent expansions passed by the General Assembly, such as increasing TCI leave from six to eight weeks and securing a path to 75 percent wage replacement by 2028, our work is not finished. To support the health and economic stability of our workforce, we need to pass legislation introduced by Senate President Val Lawson and myself (S-2737 / H-7968) to increase the number of weeks of paid leave, recognize other family caregivers, and support our sole proprietors and independent contractors.
Currently, Rhode Island offers the shortest paid family leave among states with such programs, including our neighbors in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Medical professionals and research recommend a minimum of 12 weeks for new parents to have adequate time to bond with a new child or for caregivers to manage a serious illness. Our legislation would gradually increase the maximum leave to 10 weeks in 2027 and finally to 12 weeks by 2028. This ensures workers have enough time to care for loved ones without completely losing the income they rely on to pay rent, buy groceries, and support their families.
Family doesn’t always fit a narrow definition. That is why to ensure that immigrants, foster youth, veterans, and LGBTQ+ groups can provide the care their families need, we must expand who qualifies as a “family member.” Our bill expands caregiving leave to include grandchildren and “care recipients,” defined as anyone for whom the employee is responsible for providing or arranging health or safety-related care. This recognizes the reality of modern households and ensures no one is excluded from the protection of TCI.
For too long, small business owners, sole proprietors, and self-employed Rhode Islanders have been left out of this safety net. Our legislation establishes an opt-in option, allowing these workers to voluntarily join the TCI and Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) programs.
According to the 2026 AARP Valuing the Invaluable report, 155,000 Rhode Islanders serve as family caregivers for adults, contributing a staggering 111 million hours of care annually. That is why improving TCI is so important for both families with new babies and for adults caring for adult family members.
Strengthening TCI will keep Rhode Island competitive with Massachusetts and Connecticut, who already offer 12 weeks of paid leave. Most importantly, it honors the human cost of caregiving. By passing this legislation, we can ensure that the “gift of time” I received in the NICU is a right guaranteed to every worker who pays into this system in Rhode Island.
Joshua Giraldo is a state representative representing House District 56 in Central Falls.
