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April 10, 2008 at 01:03 PM
Benefits and human resources managers want to know more about new federal leave provisions that will affect the relatives of military personnel.
The new provisions are part of the H.R. 4986, the National Defense Authorization Act, which was signed into law in January.
One provision, which took effect immediately, expands the federal Family and Medical Leave Act to provide up to 26 work weeks of FMLA leave for employees who are the “spouse, son, daughter, parent or next of kin” of a military servicemember who “is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation or therapy, is otherwise in outpatient status, or is otherwise on the temporary disability retired list for a serious injury or illness” sustained in active duty.
The other provision, which will take effect when regulations are issued, “would allow employees to take FMLA leave for “any qualifying exigency (as the secretary [of Labor] shall, by regulation, determine] arising out of the fact that the spouse, or a son, daughter or parent of the employee is on active duty {or has been notified of an impending call or order to active duty} in the Armed Forces in support of a contingency operation.”
WorldatWork, Scottsdale, Ariz., a group that represents about 12,100 compensation, benefits and human resources executives at large companies, recently conducted an informal e-mail survey of its members about the FMLA.
Some members complained about the FMLA provision that permits employees at some employers to take “intermittent” FMLA leave in increments of as little as a few minutes.
