The Federal (U.S.) Family Medical Leave Act provides unpaid, protected leave up to “twelve workweeks…in a 12-month period to care for the employee’s spouse, child, or parent who has a serious health condition.”
Links at the end of this article will direct you to the official Department of Labor website. Here is our summary of what this means.
Unpaid, protected leave means that no one is required to pay you anything while on leave. However, your job is protected while you are on leave. You get to come back to your job. You cannot be fired for taking leave.
The employer is required to return you to the same job or to one that is “nearly identical.” More about what this means can be found on the government website’s FAQ section.
Use the flow chart below to find out if you are eligible to use the FMLA:
What qualifies as a serious health condition? “An FMLA serious health condition generally involves a period of incapacity. Incapacity means an individual is unable to work, attend school or perform other regular daily activities because of the serious health condition, due to treatment of it, or for recovery from the condition.”
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