Fmla - What You Need to Know

You get the phone call in the middle of the night. Your son or daughter has been in a serious accident and is hospitalized in critical condition. After several day’s they come home from the hospital with several broken bones and require your around the clock attention for the next eight to twelve weeks. You just got over a serious medical condition yourself which you acquired while on vacation and do not have any vacation time or sick time to take off. Do you have to quit your job? Can your employer terminate you for taking time off to be with your child? What options do you have? What can your employer do for you? Well, the answer lies in the Family and Medical Leave Act.

The inception of the Family Medical Leave Act was for several reasons. It was clear that the need for both parents to work was increasing and the “stay at home Mom” position was no longer the norm. It was now necessary for both parents to give financially in order to support the financial needs of the family foundation. The United States Government recognized that by enacting this law they were in fact contributing to the stability of the family structure and the safety and security of innocent children. This also helped

Kalamazoo County Road Commission (2015), the plaintiff Terry Tilly alleged that the Kalamazoo County Road Commission violated his right to take medical leave provided by the Family and Medical Leave Act. The KCRC’s personnel manual, which definitively advises that the manual serves “a basic guide to basic benefits, working conditions and policies” in part states that, “Employees covered under the Family and Medical Leave Act are full-time employees who have worked for the Road Commission and accumulated 1,250 work hours in the previous 12 months.” There are several statutes that specify a minimum employer size in term of the number of employees in the roster (Walsh, 2013, p. 10). Under section 2611 of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, an employee who works for a company that does not meet the FMLA 50/75-Employee Threshold is not eligible for FMLA (2010). The trial court, therefore, ruled in favor of the Kalamazoo County Road Commission, dismissing Mr. Tilley’s FMLA claim. However, the Court of Appeals would later overturn the dismissal of the case. Although the employer did not meet the FMLA 50/75-Employee Threshold, making Mr. Tilley an ineligible employee under the FMLA, the company’s employee handbook misrepresented his eligibility to apply for FMLA benefits. The manual failed to mention the FMLA 50/75-Employee Threshold, so Mr. Tilley was in fact protected under the FMLA

FMLA leave is not considered a qualifying event under Cobra. A Cobra qualifying event can occur in an instance when an employer’s obligation to maintain health benefits under FMLA cease. An example of this is when an employee has intent of not returning to work. Further information can be provided by going to your nearest Wage and Hour Office or through the telephone directory under U.S Government and U.S. Department of Labor (Frequently Asked Questions Cobra Continuation Health Coverage).

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) was created to help assist employees deal with the difficulties of home, while creating an atmosphere of job security. The FMLA also helps cover employers from wrongful use of the FMLA by the employees. Although the document is extensive, there are three major provisions of the FMLA that apply to the given situation. The FMLA entitles covered employees to unpaid work leave, provides job and benefit restoration, and allows employers to require notice and certification for leave ("Family and medical leave act," 2007).

The Family and Medical Leave Act sets regulations for job-protected leave related to family and medical reasons. FMLA applies to organizations with 50 or more employees working within 75 miles of the employee’s worksite (“Employment Laws,” n.d., para. 6). Employees who have been with their current employer for 12 months and who have worked 1250 hours of service in the previous 12 months are eligible for 12 weeks of unpaid leave through FMLA (“Eligibility Requirements,” Revised 2013). FMLA covers the following leave reasons:

The FMLA entitles eligible employees the ability to take off up to 12 weeks of unpaid time off within a 12-month period with the benefit of job protection upon returning to the company. The time off is subject to specific criteria that must meet federal guidelines. The website www.dol.gov lists these five leave entitlements.

In this given situation the Employee’s FMLA right was satisfied when he was granted the leave. The Employee met all requirements to be granted leave because he was with a company that had over 50 employees for over 2 years. The 2 years that customer worked satisfied the requirement of working a total of 12 months before leave can be granted. Also, since the Employee’s leave was for birth care that was a valid reason for asking for the leave.

Benefits and Protections. (Revised 2013). United States Department of Labor online. Retrieved May 27, 2014 from http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/posters/fmlaen.pdf

| An employer must provide an employee with his rights under the FMLA and is required to reinstate an eligible employee to the same or similarly equal job with the same benefits and salary upon return.

An employee took time off due to his wife giving birth prematurely. His requested time off was approved by his original manager as the employee qualified for FMLA since he has been with the company for two years and was for the care of his spouse. Under (1)”FMLA rules certain employees can be provided up to 12 weeks unpaid, job-protected leave per year. The employee must work for the company at least 12 months, have at least 1250 hours during the 12 months and the where the employee work, the company must employ at least 50 employees within 75 miles”.

The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was enacted to offer relief and protection to those workers

The FMLA or The Family and Medical Leave Act allows eligible employees who work for companies that the Act applies to take unpaid, job-protected leave for family and or medical reasons. As stated on US Department of Labor’s website (2015), a covered employer must have 50 or more employees in 20 or more work weeks in the current or preceding calendar year, including a joint employer or successor in interest to a covered employer. It may also be a public agency which includes local, state or Federal agencies, regardless of the number of employees that it employs. Eligible employees work for a covered

If FMLA leave is being taken for the employee’s own or an eligible family member’s serious health condition, or to care for the serious injury or illness of a covered servicemember, the employee must exhaust sick leave balances first, regardless of whether leave is used consecutively, intermittently or on a reduced schedule. The employee will then be required to exhaust vacation leave and compensatory time balances. After the employee has used all paid leave balances, he/she will be placed in a leave without pay status.

     The Family and Medical Leave Act was enacted by Congress on February 5, 1993, and it is public law 103-3. This law allows for a person to leave work in certain situations without losing his/her job. An eligible employees must have worked for the employer for at least 12 months and at least completed 1250 hours of service. An employee is able to leave work for up to 12 weeks for any of the following reasons: the employee expects a baby in his/her immediate family, the employee expects an adopted child in his/her immediate family, the employee has to take care of an ill family member which includes spouse, parent or his/her own children, and/or the employee has a serious medical