Family Medical Leave Act - Essay Example

Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Discussion of FMLA 3 References 5Discussion of FMLAAccording to the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 employees are allowed to meet family care and medical needs without disturbing the job and economic security (University of South Florida, n.d.). On January 28, 2008 it was amended (United States Department of Labor, n.d.). As per this law employees are entitled to take job protected and unpaid leave for maximum 12 weeks.

FMLA, an important federal law, permits individuals who are seriously ill to take leaves, so that they can receive proper treatment. There are certain conditions to be eligible for FMLA leave. 1) The period of employment with the current employer must be at least 1,250 hours and more than 12 consecutive months.2) The employee must be a part of a workforce which is having at least 50 employees.3) Employees must have the intension of returning back to the work after the end of leave period (Lauderdale, F. n.d.).It is important to notice that any federal employee or officer, who has been covered under subchapter V of chapter 63 under title 5, would not be eligible for this leave.

Moreover if the employee has been working at such a worksite where the total number of employees is less than 50 then also that employee would not be eligible for family and medical leave. There are certain conditions due to which any eligible employees would be entitled to leave. An eligible employee would be entitled to leave in case of birth of son or daughter or in case of taking care of the same. If spouse, parent, son or daughter of an employee is having serious health condition then the employee would be entitled to leave in order to take care of them.

If the employee himself/herself is seriously ill and as a result he/she could not perform properly then also he/she would be entitled to such leave. One of the main purposes of FMLA is to create the balance between the need of the families and demand of the workplace. Other important purposes include promoting economic stability and security of families, promoting the importance of family integrity which is a national interest. One of the most important purposes of FMLA is to entitle employees for taking reasonable leave so that they can care their son or daughter, spouse or parent who are having serious health condition.

Employees would be entitled to this leave for their own health condition also (United States Department of Labor, n.d.). In case of FMLA employers do not need to pay wages during the leave periods. Total duration of this leave could be at the most 12 weeks. Sometimes health insurance premiums of workers’ are paid by the employers. As per FMLA these employers must continue to pay these premiums for their workers during the leave period. ReferencesLauderdale, F. No Date, The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Patient Advocate, Retrieved from http://www.

patientadvocate.org/resources.php?p=128 United States Department of Labor, No Date, The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/statutes/fmla.htm United States Department of Labor, No Date, Overview, The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/compliance/laws/comp-fmla.htm#recordkeeping University of South Florida, No Date, Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Human Resources, Retrieved from http://usfweb2.usf.edu/usfpers/procedures/A&L/fmla/fmla.htm