Workers in Illinois who provide personal care to family members are protected from employment discrimination based on family responsibilities as of Jan. 1, 2025. Illinois is now one of fewer than 10 states to provide employment protections for family caregivers.
Public Act 103-0797 prohibits discrimination on the basis of family responsibilities in employment. This means that Illinois employers cannot make recruitment, hiring, promotion, renewal of employment, training, discharge, discipline, or other decisions regarding the privileges or conditions of employment based on an employee or prospective employee’s actual or perceived provision of personal care for a family member.
“At one point or another, almost every worker will need to provide personal care to a family member in need,” said Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) Director Jim Bennett. “This law protects employees with family responsibilities from workplace discrimination, ensuring that employment decisions are made on their job performance instead of bias.”
The law references the Employee Sick Leave Act to define family members and personal care. Covered family members are an employee’s child, stepchild, spouse, domestic partner, sibling, parent, mother-in-law, father-in-law, grandchild, grandparent, or stepparent. Personal care includes, but is not limited to:
- Taking a family member to a doctor’s appointment.
- Tending to a family member’s basic medical, hygiene, nutritional, or safety needs.
- Providing emotional support to a family member with a serious health condition who is receiving inpatient or home care.
For questions regarding the Illinois Human Rights Act or IDHR’s rule and regulations, call 312-814-6262 or complete the Contact IDHR online form.
