What is the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)?
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a federal law that provides certain employees up to twelve weeks unpaid, job-protected leave per year. The FMLA imposes certain notification responsibilities on employers. Notices about FMLA must be publicly posted, and if the employer publishes an employee handbook the handbook must contain information about FMLA. It also requires that group health benefits be maintained during the leave. FMLA is designed to assist employees in balancing their work and family responsibilities by permitting them to take reasonable unpaid leave for certain family and medical reasons. The Act also seeks to accommodate the legitimate interests of employers, and promotes equal employment opportunity for men and women. A number of states have also enacted family and medical leave laws, some of which provide greater amounts of leave and benefits than those provided by FMLA. In those situations where an employee is covered by both Federal and State FMLA laws, the emp
