Minnesotans who welcomed a child in this year will be able to start applying Wednesday to the state's new paid family and medical leave program to take time off in 2026 .

Gov. Tim Walz signed the bill during the 2023 legislative session, creating a program to provide 12 weeks of leave with partial pay for employees to care for a newborn and 12 weeks to tend to a sick family member or to recover from their own serious illness. Benefits will be capped at 20 weeks a year for those who take advantage of both.

The applications that go live Wednesday are part of a phased start; officials are anticipating roughly 5,000 claims and hope it'll reduce demand when the program officially launches on Jan. 1. Minnesotans with newborns will have a year to take advantage of the benefits.

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