The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a federal law that provides eligible employees with job-protected leave for qualifying family and medical reasons. Eligible employees can take up to 12 workweeks of FMLA leave in a 12-month period for:
•The birth, adoption or foster placement of a child with you,
•Your serious mental or physical health condition that makes you unable to work,
•To care for your spouse, child or parent with a serious mental or physical health condition, and
•Certain qualifying reasons related to the foreign deployment of your spouse, child or parent who is a military servicemember.
An eligible employee who is the spouse, child, parent or next of kin of a covered servicemember with a serious injury or illness may take up to 26 workweeks of FMLA leave in a single 12-month period to care for the servicemember.
Employees have the right to use FMLA leave in one block of time. When it is medically necessary or otherwise permitted, they may take FMLA leave intermittently in separate blocks of time, or on a reduced schedule by working less hours each day or week.
In order to be eligible to take FMLA, you must have worked for Highland at least 12 months and have at least 1,000 hours of service during the 12 months before your leave. Any employee who needs to take leave under FMLA must notify the Human Resources Office as soon as practicable. Highland will request certification from a health care provider to verify medical leave and will request certification of a qualifying exigency. Please see Policy 4.131 Leave, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) for complete information on Highland’s policy.