- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- babies today articles
- babies today q&a
- toddlers today articles
- toddlers today q&a
- breastfeed.com articles
- breastfeed.com q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Staying Home With Mom and Baby
The Facts About the Family Medical Leave Act
By Teri Brown
Taking advantage of the Family Medical Leave Act can be complicated. Often state laws provide their own family medical leave, and it is difficult to know which hoops you need to jump though. The U.S. Supreme Court only recently clarified that the federal law applies to all public and private employees. "Basically, if a state has its own law the more generous of the two laws is the one that applies," says Grant. "For example, some states allow more generous parental leaves than the Family Medical Leave Act provide. In those states, women and men can take a longer job-protected leave."
The Family Medical Leave Act only covers employees who work for businesses with 50 or more employees, and you must have been working with that employer for 12 months to be eligible. Most importantly, the Family Medical Leave Act is for unpaid leave only, and while an employee may use accrued vacation or sick pay during that time, the employer is under no other financial obligations.
"From the employee's perspective, the fact that the leave is unpaid is undoubtedly the biggest problem," says Hackett. "While the Family Medical Leave Act's job and health insurance protections provide some security, they do not put food on the table or pay the bills. An employee may use paid sick and vacation time while on leave, but few employees accrue enough paid time off to cover all of the leave time they need. Without a steady income, many employees are forced to shorten or forgo a leave of absence altogether."
Want to see more?
Comments
There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to 
|
Post As:
|
||
| Enter your comment below: | ||
| Title | ||
| Comment Text | ||
| CAPTCHA | ||
| Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection. | ||
