The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) provides certain employees with up to 12 work weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave a year, and requires group health benefits to be maintained during the leave as if the employees continued work instead of taking leave. HR Managers often name FMLA issues as their top headache. These resources can help you manage leave under FMLA.

Compliance Guide

This guide from the U.S. Department of Labor provides a general overview of FMLA provisions including employee eligibility requirements and to which employers the law applies.

View compliance guide

Regulations

This DOL site presents the FMLA regulations in an easy to digest format and answers questions.

View regulations

FAQs

Some of the most frequently asked questions include:

• What is considered a serious health condition?
• Does FMLA leave have to be taken all at once or can it be taken in parts?
• How may employees on FMLA pay their share of group health benefit premiums?
• What are an employee's rights on returning to work from FMLA leave?

Maternity Leave Survey

This Fact Sheet from the Institute for Women's Policy Research presents findings from their survey of U.S. employers' family leave policies, including the percentage of private sector employers providing maternity, paternity, or adoption leave and whether the leave is paid or unpaid.

View survey

FMLA Expanded to Include Military Related Leaves

On January 28, 2008, President Bush signed the National Defense Authorization Act for 2008 into law which immediately amended The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) to include two new military related leaves for service members and their families.

• Active Duty Leave requires eligible employers with eligible employees to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave a year, as the time is related to an employee's service member spouse, child, or parent's active duty or impending call to active duty. This category of leave is not effective until final regulations are released. However, the Department of Labor encourages employers to comply in the interim.
• Caregiver Leave provides eligible family members (including a "nearest blood relative") up to 26 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a service member who has a "serious illness or injury."

Sample Forms

• Certification of Health Care Provider for FMLA Leave
• Employer Response to Employee Request for Family or Medical Leave
• Certification of Health Care Provider to Return to Work