Family Medical Leave Law
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requires covered employers to grant unpaid leave to employees who are unable to work because they are sick, have a newborn child, or care for sick family members. .
Under the FMLA, a covered employer (one with 50 or more employees) must give an eligible employee up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period for one or more of the following reasons:
* for the birth and care of the employee’s newborn child;
* for placement with the employee of a son or daughter for adoption or foster care;
* to care for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a serious health condition; Prayed
* to take medical leave when the employee is unable to work due to a serious health condition
The definition of “serious health condition” is quite long, but you can read it for yourself on the Department of Labor website: http://www.dol.gov/dol/allcfr/ESA/Title_29/Part_825/29CFR825.114 .htm
You’ll find a wealth of information on that site, including frequently asked questions and current CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) regulations.
Employees become eligible for the FMLA benefit after working for a covered employer for one year and working at least 1,250 hours during the 12-month period prior to the leave.
Once an employer has awarded the 12 weeks required by law, benefits are exhausted for that 12-month period. In that case, it may be helpful for an employee to check with human resources to see if there are other benefits available that would allow one to stay out of work longer.
