{"id":357726,"date":"2016-04-04T10:45:26","date_gmt":"2016-04-04T15:45:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/employment\/family-medical-leave\/family-and-medical-leave-laws-by-state.html"},"modified":"2024-07-29T13:01:15","modified_gmt":"2024-07-29T18:01:15","slug":"family-and-medical-leave-laws-by-state","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/employment\/family-medical-leave\/family-and-medical-leave-laws-by-state.html","title":{"rendered":"Family and Medical Leave Laws by State"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Family and Medical Leave Laws by State<\/h1>\n\n
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\n By Lyle Therese A. Hilotin-Lee, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Melissa Bender, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n

Family and medical leave laws provide employees with job-protected time off for family and medical reasons. Some states offer paid benefits while others follow only federal unpaid requirements. These state laws often expand beyond the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) by providing wage replacement, covering additional family relationships, and extending eligibility to more workers.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

It’s difficult for most employees to take a long-term absence from work to care for a sick family member or welcome a new child into their home. The federal\u00a0Family and Medical Leave Act<\/a>\u00a0(FMLA) attempted to make it easier. It allows employees to take extended job-protected time off for specific medical and family reasons. But the FMLA only provides unpaid leave.<\/p>\n

However, the FMLA allows states to create their own family and medical leave laws that expand on the federal act. Several states have stepped in to fill that gap with\u00a0paid family and medical leave<\/a>\u00a0(PFML). PFML is like FMLA, except the employee isn’t left entirely without income during their leave.<\/p>\n

Employers in states that don’t offer PFML must follow\u00a0FMLA guidelines<\/a>. Where a state has both, the employer must follow the law that protects the workers most. To date, only a handful of states offer PFML. Family and medical leave policies vary across the states that offer it.<\/p>\n

What Is the Family Medical Leave Act?<\/h2>\n

Congress passed the FMLA in 1993. It’s a federal law administered by the\u00a0US Department of Labor<\/a>‘s\u00a0Wage and Hour Division<\/a>. The law allows eligible employees of covered employers to take 12 weeks of job-protected, unpaid leave in a 12-month period for the following:<\/p>\n