Changes to the Family Medical Leave Act

In 2008, the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was amended to deal with the pressing realities of ongoing military conflicts. The FMLA was originally signed into law in 1993 to help guarantee the employment of individuals who were forced to miss work due to a medical condition or the care of a family member or spouse suffering from a serious illness or injury. But it did not contain provisions that were capable of addressing the needs of members of the military and their next of kin in an adequate manner.

If your employer is under the jurisdiction of the FMLA but has failed to extend the new protections to you, seeking legal advice might be in order. Contact the Houston employment lawyers of the Ross Law Group at 713-482-6910. Let us help you to ensure that you have the time you need to attend to your family's needs.

Qualifying Exigencies

The revision of the Act mandated that employers extend FMLA protections to military personnel and their families in the event of a “qualifying exigency”. Spouses, parents, and children of individuals who are on active duty or have received an order of impending deployment are qualified to have up to 12 weeks of leave in the face of a qualifying exigency. The same parties are entitled to as many as 26 weeks of leave if the service member is coping with a severe injury or illness. Qualifying exigencies might include:

• Deployment on short notice
• Attending marital, psychiatric, or military counseling
• Activities and care concerns associated with children
• Addressing any financial or legal concerns associated with deployment

Contact Us

Employers should be eager to comply with these regulations in honor of the services rendered to the country by the military. Yet, in the endless pursuit of the bottom line some would still attempt to deny you of the legal rights you have. Contact the Houston Family Medical Leave Act lawyers of the Ross Law Group at 713-482-6910.