Family Medical Leave Act

questions & answers

Question: Can I take a leave of absence for a school year (I'm a teacher) to take care of my father according to FMLA?

Answer:

 The Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a federal law that requires some employers to let their employees take time off from work to recover from an illness, care for an ill family member, or to attend to the birth or adoption of a child.  For frequently asked questions about FMLA, including questions like whether a person is eligible for FMLA  and what the valid reasons for FMLA leave are, visit the U.S. Department of Labor website.

The following information is from the Department of Labor website and is intended to provide you with information on the Family Medical Leave Act. To understand how this information may apply to your specific circumstances, you may want to speak with the Human Resources Department at your employment, the U.S. Department of Labor or an attorney. You may also want to review the Family Medical Leave Act article on AZLawHelp.org.

The United States Department of Labor states the following:

"The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides an entitlement of up to 12 weeks of job-protected, unpaid leave during any 12-month period to eligible, covered employees for the following reasons: 1) birth and care of the eligible employee's child, or placement for adoption or foster care of a child with the employee; 2) care of an immediate family member (spouse, child, parent) who has a serious health condition; or 3) care of the employee's own serious health condition. It also requires that employee's group health benefits be maintained during the leave. The FMLA is administered by the Employment Standards Administration's Wage and Hour Division within the U.S. Department of Labor."