The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) entitles eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period for specified family and medical reasons. The law contains provisions on:
+ Employer coverage
+ Employee eligibility for the law's benefits
+ Entitlement to leave
+ Maintenance of health benefits during leave
+ Job restoration after leave
+ Notice and certification of the need for FMLA leave
+ Protection for employees who request or take FMLA leave.

The law also requires employers to keep certain records. For a detailed fact sheet on the FMLA, visit the U.S. Department of Labor Web site at
http://www.dol.gov/dol/esa/public/regs/compliance/whd/whdfs28.htm

EMPLOYER COVERAGE
FMLA applies to all:

+ Private-sector employers who employ 50 or more employees in 20 or more work weeks in the current or preceding calendar year and who are engaged in commerce or in any industry or activity affecting commerce--including joint employers and successors of covered employers.

+ Public agencies, including state, local and federal employers, local education agencies (schools).

EMPLOYEE ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible for FMLA benefits, an employee must:
+ Work for a covered employer
+ Have worked for the employer for a total of 12 months
+ Have worked at least 1,250 hours over the previous 12 months
+ Work at a location in the United States or in any territory or possession of the United States where at least 50 employees are employed by the employer within 75 miles.

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