California Pregnancy Disability Leave Poster

YOUR 
RIGHTS AND 
OBLIGATIONS 
AS A PREGNANT 
EMPLOYEE
IF YOU ARE PREGNANT, HAVE A 
PREGNANCY-RELATED MEDICAL 
CONDITION, OR ARE RECOVERING FROM 
CHILDBIRTH, PLEASE READ THIS NOTICE.	
YOUR EMPLOYER	* 	HAS AN OBLIGATION TO	
• Reasonably accommodate your medical needs related to pregnancy, 
childbirth, or related conditions (such as temporarily modifying your 
work duties, providing you with a stool or chair, or allowing more 
frequent breaks);	
• Transfer you to a less strenuous or hazardous position (if one is 
available) or duties if medically needed because of your pregnancy;	
• Provide you with pregnancy disability leave (PDL) of up to four months 
(the working days you normally would work in one-third of a year or 17 
1/3 weeks) and return you to your same job when you are no longer 
disabled by your pregnancy or, in certain instances, to a comparable 
job. Taking PDL, however, does not protect you from non-leave related 
employment actions, such as a layoff;	
• Provide a reasonable amount of break time and use of a room or 
other location in close proximity to the employee’s work area to 
express breast milk in private as set forth in the Labor Code; and	
• Never discriminate, harass, or retaliate on the basis of pregnancy.	
FOR PREGNANCY DISABILITY LEAVE
• PDL is not for an automatic period of time, but for the period of time 
that you are disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical 
condition. Your health care provider determines how much time you  will need.	
• Once your employer has been informed that you need to take PDL, your 
employer must guarantee in writing that you can return to work in your 
same or a comparable position if you request a written guarantee. Your 
employer may require you to submit written medical certification from 
your health care provider substantiating the need for your leave.	
• PDL may include, but is not limited to, additional or more frequent 
breaks, time for prenatal or postnatal medical appointments, and 
doctor-ordered bed rest, and covers conditions such as severe  
morning sickness, gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced hyper-
tension, preeclampsia, recovery from childbirth or loss or end of 
pregnancy, and/or post-partum depression.	
• PDL does not need to be taken all at once but can be taken on an 
as-needed basis as required by your health care provider, including 
intermittent leave or a reduced work schedule.	
• Your leave will be paid or unpaid depending on your employer’s policy 
for other medical leaves. You may also be eligible for state disability 
insurance or Paid Family Leave (PFL), administered by the California 
Employment Development Department.	
• At your discretion, you can use any vacation or other paid time off 
during your PDL.	
• Your employer may require or you may choose to use any available  
sick leave during your PDL.	
• Your employer is required to continue your group health coverage 
during your PDL at the same level and under the same conditions 
that coverage would have been provided if you had continued in 
employment continuously for the duration of your leave.	
• Taking PDL may impact certain of your benefits and your seniority  
date; please contact your employer for details.	
NOTICE OBLIGATIONS AS AN EMPLOYEE
• Give your employer reasonable notice. To receive 
reasonable accommodation, obtain a transfer, or take 
PDL, you must give your employer sufficient notice for 
your employer to make appropriate plans. Sufficient 
notice means 30 days advance notice if the need for 
the reasonable accommodation, transfer, or PDL is 
foreseeable, or as soon as practicable if the need is an 
emergency or unforeseeable.	
• Provide a written medical certification from your health 
care provider. Except in a medical emergency where 
there is no time to obtain it, your employer may require 
you to supply a written medical certification from your 
health care provider of the medical need for your 
reasonable accommodation, transfer or PDL. If the need 
is an emergency or unforeseeable, you must provide 
this certification within the time frame your employer 
requests, unless it is not practicable for you to do so 
under the circumstances despite your diligent, good 
faith efforts. Your employer must provide at least 15 
calendar days for you to submit the certification. See if 
your employer has a copy of a medical certification form 
to give to your health care provider to complete.	
• Please note that if you fail to give your employer 
reasonable advance notice or, if your employer 
requires it, written medical certification of your medical 
need, your employer may be justified in delaying your 
reasonable accommodation, transfer, or PDL.	
ADDITIONAL LEAVE UNDER THE 
CALIFORNIA FAMILY RIGHTS ACT (CFRA)
Under the California Family Rights Act (CFRA), if you have 
more than 12 months of service with an employer, and have 
worked at least 1,250 hours in the 12-month period before 
the date you want to begin your leave, you may have a right 
to a family care or medical leave (CFRA leave). This leave may 
be up to 12 workweeks in a 12-month period for the birth, 
adoption, or foster care placement of your child	
**	, or for your 
own serious health condition or that of your child, parent	
***	, 
spouse, domestic partner, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, 
or someone else related by blood or in family-like relationship  with the employee (“designated person”). Employers may 
pay their employees while taking CFRA leave, but employers 
are not required to do so, unless the employee is taking 
accrued paid time-off while on CFRA leave. Employees taking 
CFRA leave may be eligible for benefits administered by 
Employment Development Department.	
TO FILE A COMPLAINT
Civil Rights Department
calcivilrights.ca.gov/complaintprocess 
Toll Free: 800.884.1684  /  TTY: 800.700.2320
California Relay Service (711)
Have a disability that requires a reasonable 
accommodation? CRD can assist you with your complaint.
For translations of this guidance, visit: 
www.calcivilrights.ca.go v/posters/required	
*PDL, CFRA leave, and anti-discrimination protections apply to employers of 5 or more employees; anti-harassment protections apply to employers of 1 or more.
** 	“Child” means a biological, adopted, or foster child, a stepchild, a legal ward, or a child of an employee or the employee’s domestic partner, or a person to whom the employee stands in 
loco parentis.	
*** 	“Parent” includes a biological, foster, or adoptive parent, a parent-in-law, a stepparent, a legal guardian, or other person who stood in loco parentis to the employee when the employee 
was a child.	
CRD-E09P-ENG  / January 2023