FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT – service members
On February 5, 2013, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a rule expanding two provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The FMLA’s first expansion implements congressional amendments regarding leave for families of service members, and the second expansion modifies existing rules to allow more coverage to airline personnel.
The modifications to FMLA for families of service members now allow families to take up to 26 weeks of leave to care for a family member who is a current service member and has a serious injury or illness. It also created qualified exigency leave, which allows service members or their families to take up to 12 weeks of leave when exigent circumstances arise, such as the departure of a spouse for active duty or the welcome home from active duty.