FMLA & Medical Leave
The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993(FMLA) entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave. Forvis Mazars is a covered employer under FMLA. To be eligible to take FMLA leave, you must meet the following criteria:
- Have been employed by Forvis Mazars at least 12 months (does not need to be consecutive); and
- Have worked at least 1,250 hours within the previous 12 months
All requests for FMLA or Bonding Leave are managed through MetLife.
Basic Leave Entitlement
Eligible employees are entitled to FMLA leave in a 12-month period for:
- The birth of a child or placement of a child for adoption or foster care
- To bond with a child (leave must be taken within one year of the child’s birth or placement)
- To care for the employee’s spouse, child, or parent who has a qualifying serious health condition
- For the employee’s own qualifying serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the employee’s job
- For qualifying exigencies related to the foreign deployment of a military member who is the employee’s spouse, child, or parent
- An eligible employee who is a covered service member’s spouse, child, parent, or next of kin may also take up to 26 weeks of FMLA leave in a single 12-month period to care for the servicemember with a serious injury or illness. Leave to care for the employee’s child after birth, or placement for adoption or foster care must be taken within one (1) year of the child’s birth or placement. A serious health condition is an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves either an overnight stay in a medical care facility, or continuing treatment by a health care provider for a condition that either prevents the employee from performing the functions of the employee’s job or prevents the qualified family member from participating in school or other daily activities. Subject to certain conditions, the continuing treatment requirement may be met by a period of incapacity of more than three (3) consecutive calendar days combined with at least two visits to a health care provider or one visit and a regimen of continuing treatment, or incapacity due to pregnancy, or incapacity due to a chronic condition
- Other conditions may meet the definition of continuing treatment
Military Medical Leave
Eligible employees with a spouse, son, daughter, or parent (but not in-law) on covered active duty or called to covered active duty status (or has been notified of an impending call or order to covered active duty) in the Reserve component of the Armed Forces for deployment to a foreign country in support of a contingency operation or Regular Armed Forces for deployment to a foreign country may use their 12-week leave entitlement to address certain qualifying exigencies. Qualifying exigencies may include attending certain military events, arranging for alternative childcare, addressing certain financial and legal arrangements, attending certain counseling sessions, caring for the parents of the military member on covered active duty and attending post-deployment reintegration briefings.
FMLA also includes a special leave entitlement which permits eligible employees (spouse, son, daughter, parent (but not in-law) or next of kin of a covered service member) to take up to twenty-six (26) weeks of leave to care for a covered service member with a serious injury or illness during a single 12-month period (one time basis only).
A covered service member is a current 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 on the temporary retired list, for a serious injury or illness. These individuals are referred to in this policy as “current members of the Armed Forces.” Covered servicemembers also includes a veteran who is discharged or released from military services under condition other than dishonorable at any time during the five-year period preceding the date the eligible employee takes FMLA leave to care for the covered veteran, and who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation or therapy for a serious injury or illness. These individuals are referred to in this policy as “covered veterans.”
The FMLA definitions of a “serious injury or illness” for current Armed Forces members and covered veterans are distinct from the FMLA definition of “serious health condition” applicable to FMLA leave to care for a covered family member.
| FMLA Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| FMLA | Non-FMLA Medical Leave | Maternity Leave | |
| Reasons | Personal Health Condition, Parental Leave, Caring for a Dependent with a Personal Health Condition, Military Leave, etc. | Personal Health Condition | Recovery from giving birth and bonding with baby |
| Eligibility | Employees must be employed for 12 months and working 1250 hours over the past 12 months | All Employees are eligible to apply | All Employees are eligible to apply |
| Leave Duration | up to 12 weeks or 26 weeks if military | 1-12 consecutive weeks for intermittent occurrences | 14 or 16 weeks depending on type of birth |
| Pay Types | Unpaid, Short Term Disability, Bonding Leave | Unpaid, Short Term Disability | Short Term Disability, Bonding Leave |
| Benefit Premiums | Deducted through payroll and/or benefit re-payment plan initiated when employee returns to work | Deducted through payroll and/or benefit re-payment plan initiated when employee returns to work | Deducted through payroll and/or benefit re-payment plan initiated when employee returns to work |
