Blood Donations Qualify for Oregon Sick Time Law Leave

Effective January 1, 2026, covered Oregon employees may use leave under the Oregon Sick Time Law (OSTL) to make a blood donation. 

The OSTL requires employers to provide sick and safe time to eligible employees for qualifying reasons. Whether the time is paid or unpaid depends on the employer’s size.

A recently enacted amendment adds as a qualifying reason for OSTL leave a blood donation made in connection with a voluntary program that is approved or accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks or the American Red Cross.

Oregon joins San Francisco on the short list of jurisdictions whose mandatory paid sick leave laws make donations a qualifying reason for leave (in San Francisco, bone marrow or organ donation). California’s bone marrow and organ donation leave requirements are separate from its paid sick leave law.

One way that the OSTL is unique, however, is that it also allows an eligible employee to donate accrued sick and safe time to another employee if the other employee uses the donated time for a qualifying purpose under the law. Doing so also requires that the employer have a policy that permits such a donation.