Effective January 1, 2020, Illinois employers must be wary not to retaliate or take any employment related actions against employees who request time off or take leaves of absence related to organ donation. This is an amendment to the Living Donor Protection Act (the “Act”) and was signed by Governor Pritzker on August 2, 2019. As we have seen so far with the passage of many new employment related laws, and with major changes to the employment law landscape in the offing, the current Governor of Illinois is greatly expanding the rights of employees in this State.
Under the Act, an employee is allowed to take leaves of up to 30 days in a 12 month period for bone marrow or organ donation, up to one hour for blood donation, and up to 2 hours for platelet donations. Employees are required to request the time off in advance. Significantly, employers may NOT require employees to use accumulated sick time or vacation pay before being eligible for organ donation leave.
The Act also amends the Illinois Insurance Code by making it unlawful to refuse to insure or limit coverage for life, disability, or long term care coverage or charge a different rate for the same coverage, solely because the insured is a living organ donor.
With over 35 years’ experience in advising employers and employees on workplace issues, let Boznos Law work with you to ensure you are ready to meet the challenges posed by the changes to the employment laws. Call Bill Boznos today at (630) 375-1958 or contact us at www.boznoslawoffice.com/contact-us through our website.
