The Allegheny County Health Department, under the Pennsylvania Local Health Administration Law, is seeking to amend and promulgate a change to the County's Paid Sick Leave regulations and the proposed Paid Parental Leave regulations.
RCPA supports policies that help employees balance work, health, and family responsibilities. Paid sick leave and paid parental leave can provide important protections for workers and their families while contributing to workforce stability and employee retention. However, the proposed regulations would significantly expand employer obligations at a time when many Medicaid funded and publicly funded providers continue to face workforce shortages, rising labor costs, and reimbursement systems that do not automatically adjust to reflect new mandates.
The proposed parental leave requirement, combined with the expansion of paid sick leave obligations, would create substantial new costs for providers. These costs extend beyond the direct benefit itself and include overtime, replacement staffing, temporary personnel, recruitment, training, scheduling adjustments, and administrative compliance activities.
As a part of this process, Allegheny County Department of Health has opened a public comment period through 11:59 pm on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. On behalf of the Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association (RCPA), we appreciate the opportunity to provide comments on the proposed amendments to Allegheny County's Paid Sick Leave regulations and the proposed Paid Parental Leave regulations. Today, June 3, 2026, RCPA has submitted our comments,
which you can read here.
Additionally, RCPA is providing the following draft letter, which providers may utilize to develop their organization’s response:
Providers who wish to submit comments may do so through any of the following methods:
- Electronically submit written comments via email to
publichealthcomment@alleghenycounty.us
- By mail to:
Attn: Article XXIV Comments (Paid Parental Leave)
Allegheny County Health Department
542 Fourth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
If members have any additional questions, please contact your respective RCPA Policy Director or RCPA COO
Jim Sharp.
