Question
What is FMLA?
Answer
The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage, if that is offered by your employer, under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave. There are some specifics here about what type of employer is involved in having to be part of FMLA. The employee must have been employed with a company for 12 months, must have worked at least 1,250 hours during the 12 months prior to the start of FMLA leave, and the employer has to have 50 or more employees in 20 or more workweeks in the current, or preceding calendar year, within a 75 mile radius of the worksite. Do be aware that many states have additional family leave laws. The FMLA entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid job-protected leave, to have a continuation of that group health insurance, and to be under those same conditions. In summary, this law is important for the individual, the family, and the organization. Your organization may be required to comply with this law and to administer it fairly.
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course, Fundamentals of Human Resources: Non-Managerial Early Childhood Staff, by Katie Ryan Fotiadis, MS.
