How are leaves covered under the FMLA and workers compensation statutes and how much time off is required?
The FMLA is a mandatory federal leave law intended to protect employees who need to take time away from work to attend to certain family and medical problems. It applies to employers with 50 or more employees and all public agencies and schools and allows an eligible employee to take up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave for various family and medical reasons, including medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a “serious health condition.” [Creating HR Policies or Employee Handbook?] Workers compensation (“WC”) statutes are primarily state liability and income continuation laws that protect employees who are injured while working. Almost every state has a law that guarantees an income (funded by employers and the state) to employees injured on the job and at the same time places limits on the employers responsibility for the injury. Benefits vary from state to state but typically include medical treatment, rehabilitation, disability, and wage continuation. WC statut
