How much leave can be taken without losing the job-protection benefits?
The D.C. law provides eligible employees with a total of 16 workweeks of unpaid family leave and 16 workweeks of unpaid medical leave during any 24-month period. The federal law provides eligible employees with a total of 12 workweeks of unpaid family and medical leave during any 12-month period. The 24-month period under the D.C. law is defined as a rolling period measured back to the date the family or medical leave is first used. This means that each time an employee takes family leave, the remaining leave entitlement would be any balance of the 16 weeks that has not been used during the prior 24-months. The same calculation would apply if an employee takes medical leave under the D.C. law. Similarly, for the federal law, the 12-month period is defined as a rolling period measured back to the date family or medical leave is first used. This means that each time an employee takes family or medical leave, the remaining leave entitlement would be any balance of the 12 weeks that has no
