FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE
Your Rights Under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
FMLA requires covered employers to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave to "eligible" employees for certain family and medical reasons. Employees are eligible if they have worked for a covered employer for at least one year, and for 1,250 hours over the previous 12 months.
Reasons for Taking Leave: Unpaid leave must be granted for any of the following reasons:
- to care for the employee's child after birth, or placement for adoption or foster care;
- to care for the employee's spouse, child, or parent who has a serious health condition;
- or for a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform their job.
Advance Notice and Medical Certification: The employee may be required to provide advance leave notice and medical certification. Taking of leave may be denied if requirements are not met.
- The employee ordinarily must provide 30 days advance notice when the leave is "foreseeable".
- An employer may require medical certification to support a request for leave because of a serious health condition, and may require second or third opinions (at the employer's expense) and a fitness for duty report to return to work.
Job Benefits and Protection:
- For the duration of FMLA leave the employer must maintain the employee's health coverage under any "group health plan".
- Upon return from FMLA leave most employees must be restored to their original or equivalent positions with equivalent pay, benefits and other employement terms.
- The use of FMLA leave cannot result in the loss of any employment benefit that accrued prior to the start of an employee's leave.
Board Policy 4082 Family and Medical Leave