preview

Essay about The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA)

Decent Essays

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) provides certain employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave and job protection for childbirth, adoption or foster care; to care for a seriously ill child, spouse, or parent; or for an employee’s own serious illness (Cañas & Sondak, 2011). It also requires that their group health benefits remain intact during the unpaid leave of absence. The employee must have worked for the employer for at least a year and must have earned 1,250 hours of service during the previous 12 months ((Cañas & Sondak, 2011, pg. 70).
According to the U. S. Department of Labor, FMLA is designed to help employees balance their work and family responsibilities and it seeks to promote equal employment opportunity for …show more content…

If the request for use of family and medical leave is for a family member of the employee, in addition to the items listed above, it must also include: a statement from the person’s health care provider the type of assistance required from the employee; and a statement from the employee on the care he or she will provide and an estimation of the amount of time needed to care for his or her spouse, son, daughter, or parent.
To remain entitled to family and medical leave, the employee or the employee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent must comply with the organization’s request to submit to a medical examination to obtain a second medical certification from a health care provider other that the individual’s own health provider. The organization can also require subsequent medical recertification from the health provider if there is reason to suspect the original medical certification has changed.
The employee is protected when he or she returns from family and medical leave.

Get Access