The Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA")

Workers are protected by the Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA") from losing their jobs when they need to take leave for medical reasons. FMLA protects workers who need to miss work for medical reasons if they have suffered a long illness or had to care for a sick family member.

Employers are required to comply with FMLA if they are:

• Private companies with 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius
• Private or public primary or secondary schools; or
• Government agencies.

To qualify for protection under FMLA, you need to work for your employer for at least 12 months and work at least 1250 hours within those 12 months.

All qualified employees have the right to miss a certain amount of work if they:

• Suffer a serious medical condition
• Need to care for a seriously ill or injured relative; or
• Have or adopt a new child.

Under FMLA, an employee may miss up to 12 weeks or work within a 12 month period while you recover or help your family member. The 12 weeks may be taken all at once, or within shorter periods throughout the year. If you have a parent, child, or spouse in the armed forces, you can miss up to 26 weeks of work if he or she is injured in the line of duty.

If your employer is not complying with FMLA regulations, call Thering McCarley PLLC for a free consultation to see if you qualify for protection under the FMLA.