FMLA Changes for First Time in 15 Years

FMLA Family Medical Leave Act

The U.S. Department of Labor has confirmed that the required Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) poster will be revised to reflect the changes in the law.

The FMLA  poster must be posted by all covered employers, which means those with 50 or more employees, as well as public agencies and elementary and secondary schools regardless of the number of employees.

On January 28, 2008, President Bush signed HR 4986, the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2008, which includes a section that expands the FMLA for military service members.

 

Section 585 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) legislation amends the FMLA to permit a “spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin” to take up to 26 workweeks of leave to care for a “member of the Armed Forces, including a member of the National Guard or Reserves, who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy, is otherwise in outpatient status, or is otherwise on the temporary disability retired list, for a serious injury or illness.”

The provisions providing this leave went into effect on the date the President signed the bill into law, according to the U.S. Department of Labor website.

Another FMLA provision in the NDAA permits an employee to take FMLA leave for “any qualifying exigency” related to the fact that the spouse or a son, daughter, or parent “is on active duty in the Armed Forces in support of a contingency operation”. This provision is not effective until the Secretary of Labor issues final regulations with a definition of “any qualifying exigency”.

You can order  an updated federal labor law  poster to stay in compliance with the FMLA change OR you can choose the permanent solution favored by many HR managers — Poster Compliance Center’s  1-Year Compliance Protection plan. Visit Poster Compliance Center at postercompliance.com.