Access to paid leave is associated with better health outcomes for babies, parents, families, and those with serious health conditions. However, for workers in California, understanding, accessing, and enforcing those rights can involve engaging with 3 or more agencies, as well as obtaining multiple certifications from a healthcare provider. For many workers, especially those who are undocumented, this can pose an insurmountable burden. While these challenges are specific to rights to job-protected paid leave, they are unfortunately not unique for those seeking to enforce their rights and access benefits in general. This session will use the example of paid leave to discuss successful strategies for collaboratively breaking down barriers within agency processes and across agencies for marginalized communities through advocacy, education, policy, and advice.
