Friday, December 21, 2007

Congress Amends FMLA to Cover Leave for Relatives on Active Duty in the Military

Congress has amended the FMLA. The bill is here. The President has not signed the bill yet, but is expected to do so soon.
The new provision permits (1) up to 26 weeks of leave in a one-time 12-month period to care for a service member with a "serious illness" who is injured in the line of active duty and (2) up to 12 weeks of leave in any 12-month period for a "qualifying exigency" related to a service member's call to active duty.
The Department of Labor will define "qualifying exigency."
The 26-week leave is a one-time leave. The "qualifying exigency" leave is available like FMLA - 12 weeks per 12 month period.
The reinstatement rights, benefit protections, etc. will be the same as under the current FMLA. This is all new, so stay tuned. Expect to revise your FMLA policies and replace your posters.

Greg