Your right to take leave from work
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a federal law that provides many employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year. This leave can be taken all at once or intermittently, depending on the need of the employee. It requires that the employee be permitted to return to his or her position or a comparable position and that the employee's group health benefits be maintained during the leave.
The FMLA is designed to allow employees to take reasonable unpaid leave for certain family and medical reasons. The federal law applies, all public and private elementary and secondary schools, and companies with 50 or more employees within a 75 mile radius. Covered employers
must provide an eligible employee with up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year for any of the following reasons:
- for the birth and care of the newborn child of an employee;
- for placement with the employee of a child for adoption or foster care;
- to care for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a serious health condition; or
- to take medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition.
Time taken off work due to pregnancy complications can be counted against the 12 weeks of family and medical leave. Additionally, paid leave time can be counted against your unpaid leave.
