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United States Navy & Marines Triple Amount of Paid Maternity Leave


Recently, the United States Navy & Marines announced that effective immediately, they would triple the amount of paid maternity leave that female sailors and Marines could take after the birth of a child.  This change in policy combines six weeks of paid maternity leave with twelve weeks of paid convalescent leave, providing a new policy of eighteen weeks of paid maternity leave.  Perhaps most importantly, this policy applies retroactively to any woman in the Navy or Marines who has had a baby since January 1, 2015.  

Note that although the leave does not have to be taken at once, it must be taken with the child's first year.  According to estimates, approximately 5,000 women would be eligible for the benefit each year.  

This is quite a development!  The next question is whether branches of armed forces will follow suit?


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