Do the medical leave laws cover in-laws?
The federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) did not anticipate chummy relationships with in-laws. It allows employees unpaid time off to care for children, spouses, or parents — or to deal with their own medical needs. But in-laws are not mentioned. This means that the FMLA doesn’t give you the legal right to take time off to care for your mother-in-law. But you may be able to convince your employer to give you some unpaid time off anyway — particularly if other employees have received such leave. And because parents are covered under the FMLA, your husband may have a right to take leave to care for his mom. Many states also have laws that provide for family leave, and those laws frequently differ from the federal law. A few allow leave to care for in-laws or relatives living in the household. Contact your state labor department to find out whether your state offers this type of protection.
Related Questions
- An employee is going out on an extended medical leave and has enough sick leave accrued to cover his/her absence. Do I have to notify them of their Family Medical Leave (FML) rights?
- Does workers comp law or the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) cover my time off from work due to my injury?
- Do the medical leave laws cover in-laws?
