The New Hampshire Voluntary Paid Family and Medical Leave Program: Did the program increase coverage?

In this brief, author Kristin Smith evaluates whether the New Hampshire Voluntary Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program increased paid family and medical leave coverage. The NH Voluntary Paid Leave program launched at the start of 2023. Granite State Poll data show no change in the share of workers with medical, parental, or fam­ily medical leave benefits between December 2022 (pre-program) and December 2024. Specifically, about 3 percent of New Hampshire workers were enrolled in the NH PFML program by June 2025. In the first two- and one-half years of the program, it did little at the state level to increase overall paid family and medical leave benefits and maintained inequi­ties in coverage by sex, job type, education level, wage level, and business size. The brief compares the voluntary program approach in New Hampshire to states that have enacted comprehensive, universal, state-run programs that provide varying levels of paid family and medical leave. Smith concludes with measures to strengthen the NH voluntary program. In addition, she suggests that requiring more disclosure about the industries, employers, and workers who are covered by the New Hampshire program would allow for a more comprehensive understanding of who is being reached by the current program.