{"id":357739,"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\/reasons-that-qualify-for-fmla-leave.html"},"modified":"2023-12-27T14:50:00","modified_gmt":"2023-12-27T19:50:00","slug":"reasons-that-qualify-for-fmla-leave","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/employment\/family-medical-leave\/reasons-that-qualify-for-fmla-leave.html","title":{"rendered":"Qualifying Reasons and Conditions for FMLA Leave"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Qualifying Reasons and Conditions for FMLA Leave<\/h1>\n
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\n By Lisa Burden, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Melissa Bender, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last reviewed\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

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows eligible employees of covered employers to take 12 weeks of unpaid leave for family and medical reasons. The federal law protects workers by requiring the leave of absence to be job-protected leave. This means employees have the right to reinstatement in the same job or an equivalent position upon their return to the workplace.<\/span>
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In addition to job reinstatement, the FMLA<\/a> offers several other employee rights. While an employee is on FMLA leave, the employer must continue health benefits under the same conditions as if the employee had not gone on leave. So, an employer can’t cancel a worker’s health insurance when an employee needs FMLA leave.<\/p>\r\n

The employer also can’t increase the worker’s portion of the health insurance payment<\/a> simply because the employee uses their FMLA leave rights.<\/p>\r\n

FMLA-qualifying leave can be intermittent leave, which is time off from work taken in short terms. For example, the leave can be taken in short increments for medical treatment that might require a day or so at a time away from the workplace and span many months.<\/p>\r\n

Below is a discussion of the reasons that qualify for FMLA leave<\/a> under current FMLA regulations.<\/p>\r\n

Common Reasons for FMLA Leave<\/h2>\r\n

The FMLA covers time away from the workplace for specific reasons. Generally, the types of events that trigger FMLA protection include:<\/p>\r\n