Sun Life U.S. now offering Family Leave Insurance in Massachusetts

Rhea-AI Summary

Sun Life (NYSE:SLF) has expanded its Family Leave Insurance (FLI) offering to Massachusetts, enabling employers to provide family leave benefits across their entire workforce, including employees in other states. The FLI program complements Massachusetts' mandated Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) by providing additional income replacement for higher-wage earners.

The fully insured FLI offering fills crucial gaps in family leave coverage, supporting employees taking leave to care for family members or bond with new children. Currently available in 14 states, Sun Life will expand FLI to Michigan and West Virginia in August 2025, with more states expected throughout the year. The program aligns with the federal paid leave tax credit and features online claims submission and leave tracking capabilities.

Positive

• Expansion of FLI to Massachusetts market, with additional state expansions planned
• Product complements existing PFML programs and provides coverage across state lines
• Alignment with permanent federal paid leave tax credit
• Offers fully insured option beneficial for small and mid-size employers

Negative

• None.

WELLESLEY, Mass., July 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Sun Life U.S. now offers Family Leave Insurance (FLI) in Massachusetts, allowing employers based in the Bay State to offer family leave benefits to all employees across their organization, even those located in other states. FLI supports those taking leave to care for a family member or bond with a new child, similar to how short-term disability (STD) insurance supports those taking leave for their own illness or injury. While STD insurance provides income replacement during a medical leave, FLI comparably provides income replacement for family leave, filling a substantial gap by creating a more comprehensive policy for employees, and broadening access to those working outside of Massachusetts.

While Massachusetts also has mandated paid family and medical leave (PFML), FLI complements this program by filling income replacement gaps for higher-wage earners. Employees working in other PFML mandated states, such as Connecticut or Maine (upcoming in 2026), would receive similar income gap coverage.

"FLI is valuable across state lines, whether there are mandated leave programs or not, because it provides an important benefit to all employees equally," said Sheila Sokolski, vice president, Product Strategy and Portfolio Management, Group Benefits, Sun Life U.S. "As a fully insured offering, FLI is especially meaningful for small and mid-size employers who want to offer the benefit without the risk of self-funding, and they get an insurance product built using Sun Life's decades of disability leave and absence management expertise."

Sun Life has long been an advocate for paid leave, working with multiple state legislatures over the last several years to include a private plan option alongside mandated programs. More recently, Sun Life has championed the federal paid leave tax credit for employers, which was made permanent in recent tax legislation. Sun Life FLI aligns with the current tax credit and will align with upcoming changes in the new legislation.

Sun Life offers FLI in 14 other states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming, and will begin quoting in Michigan and West Virginia next month.

With Sun Life FLI, employees have the benefit of Sun Life's online claims submission, and employers can track employees' leave details, supporting overall health and productivity management. A recording of Sun Life's recent webinar on FLI can be found here.

Sun Life FLI will be available for quoting in Massachusetts, Michigan and West Virginia on August 1, with additional states expected to approve filing throughout 2025. For more information visit www.sunlife.com/family.

About Sun Life
Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing asset management, wealth, insurance and health solutions to individual and institutional Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of March 31, 2025, Sun Life had total assets under management of C$1.55 trillion. For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

Sun Life U.S. is one of the largest providers of employee and government benefits, helping approximately 50 million Americans access the care and coverage they need. Through employers, industry partners and government programs, Sun Life U.S. offers a portfolio of benefits and services, including dental, vision, disability, absence management, life, supplemental health, medical stop-loss insurance, and healthcare navigation. Sun Life employs more than 8,300 people in the U.S., including associates in our partner dental practices and affiliated companies in asset management. Group insurance policies are issued by Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (Wellesley Hills, Mass.), except in New York, where policies are issued by Sun Life and Health Insurance Company (U.S.) (Lansing, Mich.). For more information visit our website and newsroom.

Media contacts

Devon Fernald
Sun Life U.S.
Devon.Portney.Fernald@sunlife.com
781-800-3609

Connect with Sun Life U.S.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SLFUnitedStates   
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sun-life-financial  

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SOURCE Sun Life U.S.

FAQ

What is Sun Life's Family Leave Insurance (FLI) program in Massachusetts?

Sun Life's FLI is an insurance program that provides income replacement for employees taking family leave to care for family members or bond with new children, complementing existing PFML programs and covering employees across state lines.

How many states does Sun Life (NYSE:SLF) currently offer Family Leave Insurance in?

Sun Life currently offers FLI in 14 states, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming.

When will Sun Life expand its Family Leave Insurance to Michigan and West Virginia?

Sun Life will begin quoting FLI in Michigan and West Virginia on August 1, 2025.

How does Sun Life's FLI benefit small and mid-size employers?

Sun Life's FLI provides a fully insured offering that allows small and mid-size employers to offer family leave benefits without the risk of self-funding, backed by Sun Life's expertise in disability leave and absence management.

How does Sun Life's Family Leave Insurance complement state PFML programs?

Sun Life's FLI fills income replacement gaps for higher-wage earners in states with mandated PFML programs, while providing comprehensive coverage for employees in states without such programs.