FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act)

The FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) is a US federal law from 1993 that entitles eligible employees to up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year for defined family and medical reasons: a serious health condition, caring for a spouse, child, or parent with one, the birth or adoption of a child, and certain military-family situations (with up to 26 weeks to care for a seriously injured servicemember). Eligibility requires 12 months of employment, 1,250 hours worked in the preceding year, and an employer with 50 or more employees within 75 miles. Job protection means the employee returns to the same or an equivalent position, and group health coverage continues during leave; the law is enforced by the US Department of Labor. For HR operations, FMLA is a high-risk compliance area: obligations include timely eligibility notices, medical certification handling, correct leave tracking (including intermittent leave taken in small increments, the hardest case administratively), and strict avoidance of interference or retaliation — the two violation categories that generate litigation. Many states layer their own family-leave laws on top, several with paid benefits, so multi-state employers manage a matrix of overlapping rules. FMLA training for managers — recognizing a leave request even when the employee never says 'FMLA' — is a standard US compliance training module, typically assigned and evidenced through the LMS.