U.S. Department of Labor 

Employment Standards Administration 

Wage and Hour Division 

 (Revised January 2009) 

Fact Sheet #28: The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993

The U.S. Department of Labor's Employment Standards Administration, Wage and Hour Division, administers

and enforces the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) for all private, state and local government employee

and some federal employees. Most federal and certain congressional employees are also covered by the law an

are subject 

s, 

d 

to the jurisdiction of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management or the Congress. See Fact Sheet 28A.

The FMLA became effective on August 5, 1993 for most employers and entitles eligible employees to take up 

to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period for specified family and medical reasons. 

Amendments to the FMLA by the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2008 (NDAA), Public Law 110-

181, expanded the FMLA to allow eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave in the 

applicable 12-month period for any “qualifying exigency” arising out of the fact that a covered military member 

is on active duty, or has been notified of an impending call or order to active duty, in support of a contingency 

operation. The NDAA also amended the FMLA to allow eligible employees to take up to 26 weeks of jobprotected leave in a “single 12-month period” to care for a covered servicemember with a serious injury or 

illness. 

EMPLOYER COVERAGE 

FMLA applies to all public agencies, including state, local and federal employers, local education agencies 

(schools), and private-sector employers who employed 50 or more employees in 20 or more workweeks in the 

current or preceding calendar year, including joint employers and successors of covered employers. 

EMPLOYEE ELIGIBILITY 

To be eligible for FMLA benefits, an employee must: 

• work for a covered employer; 

• have worked for the employer for a total of 12 months; 

• have worked at least 1,250 hours over the previous 12 months; and 

• work at a location in the United States or in any territory or possession of the United States where at 

least 50 employees are employed by the employer within 75 miles. 

While the 12 months of employment need not be consecutive, employment periods prior to a break in service of 

seven years or more need not be counted unless the break is occasioned by the employee’s fulfillment of his or 

her National Guard or Reserve military obligation (as protected under the Uniformed Services Employment and 

Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)), or a written agreement, including a collective bargaining agreement, 

exists concerning the employer’s intention to rehire the employee after the break in service. See, special rules 

for returning reservists under USERRA. 

LEAVE ENTITLEMENT 

A covered employer must grant an eligible employee up to a total of 12 workweeks of unpaid leave during any 

12-month period for one or more of the following reasons: 

• for the birth and care of a newborn child of the employee; 
• for placement with the employee of a son or daughter for adoption or foster care; 

• to care for a spouse, son, daughter, or parent with a serious health condition; 

• to take medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition; or

• for qualifying exigencies arising out of the fact that the employee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent is on 

active duty or call to active duty status as a member of the National Guard or Reserves in support of a 

contingency operation. 

A covered employer also must grant an eligible employee who is a spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin 

of a current member of the Armed Forces, including a member of the National Guard or Reserves, with a 

serious injury or illness up to a total of 26 workweeks of unpaid leave during a “single 12-month period” to 

care for the servicemember. See Fact Sheet 28A for specific information regarding military family leave. 

Spouses employed by the same employer are limited in the amount of family leave they may take for the birth 

and care of a newborn child, placement of a child for adoption or foster care, or to care for a parent who has a 

serious health condition to a combined total of 12 weeks (or 26 weeks if leave to care for a covered 

servicemember with a serious injury or illness is also used). Leave for birth and care, or placement for adoption 

or foster care, must conclude within 12 months of the birth or placement. 

Under some circumstances, employees may take FMLA leave intermittently – taking leave in separate blocks of 

time for a single qualifying reason – or on a reduced leave schedule – reducing the employee’s usual weekly or 

daily work schedule. When leave is needed for planned medical treatment, the employee must make a 

reasonable effort to schedule treatment so as not to unduly disrupt the employer’s operation. If FMLA leave is 

for birth and care, or placement for adoption or foster care, use of intermittent leave is subject to the employer's 

approval. 

Under certain conditions, employees or employers may choose to “substitute” (run concurrently) accrued paid

leave (such as sick or vacation leave) to cover some or all of the FMLA leave. An employee’s ability to 

substitute accrued paid leave is determined by the terms and conditions of the employer’s normal leave policy. 

“Serious health condition” means an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves 

either: 

• Inpatient care (i.e., an overnight stay) in a hospital, hospice, or residential medical-care facility, 

including any period of incapacity (i.e., inability to work, attend school, or perform other regular daily 

activities) or subsequent treatment in connection with such inpatient care; or 

• Continuing treatment by a health care provider, which includes: 

(1) A period of incapacity lasting more than three consecutive, full calendar days, and any 

subsequent treatment or period of incapacity relating to the same condition, that also includes: 

• treatment two or more times by or under the supervision of a health care provider (i.e., inperson visits, the first within 7 days and both within 30 days of the first day of incapacity); or 

• one treatment by a health care provider (i.e., an in-person visit within 7 days of the first day 

of incapacity) with a continuing regimen of treatment (e.g., prescription medication, physical 

therapy); or 

(2) Any period of incapacity related to pregnancy or for prenatal care. A visit to the health care 

provider is not necessary for each absence; or 
(3) Any period of incapacity or treatment for a chronic serious health condition which continues over 

an extended period of time, requires periodic visits (at least twice a year) to a health care provider, 

and may involve occasional episodes of incapacity. A visit to a health care provider is not necessary 

for each absence; or

(4) A period of incapacity that is permanent or long-term due to a condition for which treatment may 

not be effective. Only supervision by a health care provider is required, rather than active treatment; 

or

(5) Any absences to receive multiple treatments for restorative surgery or for a condition that would 

likely result in a period of incapacity of more than three days if not treated. 

MAINTENANCE OF HEALTH BENEFITS 

A covered employer is required to maintain group health insurance coverage for an employee on FMLA leave 

whenever such insurance was provided before the leave was taken and on the same terms as if the employee had 

continued to work. If applicable, arrangements will need to be made for employees to pay their share of health 

insurance premiums while on leave. In some instances, the employer may recover premiums it paid to maintain 

health coverage for an employee who fails to return to work from FMLA leave. 

JOB RESTORATION 

Upon return from FMLA leave, an employee must be restored to the employee’s original job, or to an 

equivalent job with equivalent pay, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment. An employee’s 

use of FMLA leave cannot result in the loss of any employment benefit that the employee earned or was entitled 

to before using FMLA leave, nor be counted against the employee under a “no fault” attendance policy. If a 

bonus or other payment, however, is based on the achievement of a specified goal such as hours worked, 

products sold, or perfect attendance, and the employee has not met the goal due to FMLA leave, payment may 

be denied unless it is paid to an employee on equivalent leave status for a reason that does not qualify as FMLA 

leave. 

An employee has no greater right to restoration or to other benefits and conditions of employment than if the 

employee had been continuously employed. 

 

NOTICE AND CERTIFICATION 

Employee Notice 

Employees seeking to use FMLA leave are required to provide 30-day advance notice of the need to take 

FMLA leave when the need is foreseeable and such notice is practicable. If leave is foreseeable less than 30 

days in advance, the employee must provide notice as soon as practicable – generally, either the same or next 

business day. When the need for leave is not foreseeable, the employee must provide notice to the employer as 

soon as practicable under the facts and circumstances of the particular case. Absent unusual circumstances, 

employees must comply with the employer’s usual and customary notice and procedural requirements for 

requesting leave. 

Employees must provide sufficient information for an employer reasonably to determine whether the FMLA 

may apply to the leave request. Depending on the situation, such information may include that the employee is 

incapacitated due to pregnancy, has been hospitalized overnight, is unable to perform the functions of the job, 

and/or that the employee or employee’s qualifying family member is under the continuing care of a health care 

provider. 
When an employee seeks leave for a FMLA-qualifying reason for the first time, the employee need not 

expressly assert FMLA rights or even mention the FMLA. When an employee seeks leave, however, due to a 

FMLA-qualifying reason for which the employer has previously provided the employee FMLA-protected leave, 

the employee must specifically reference either the qualifying reason for leave or the need for FMLA leave. 

Employer Notice

Covered employers must post a notice approved by the Secretary of Labor explaining rights and responsibilities 

under FMLA. An employer that willfully violates this posting requirement may be subject to a fine of up to 

$110 for each separate offense. Additionally, employers must either include this general notice in employee 

handbooks or other written guidance to employees concerning benefits, or must distribute a copy of the notice 

to each new employee upon hiring. 

When an employee requests FMLA leave or the employer acquires knowledge that leave may be for a FMLA 

purpose, the employer must notify the employee of his or her eligibility to take leave, and inform the employee 

of his/her rights and responsibilities under FMLA. When the employer has enough information to determine 

that leave is being taken for a FMLA-qualifying reason, the employer must notify the employee that the leave is 

designated and will be counted as FMLA leave. 

Certification

Employers may require that an employee’s request for leave due to a serious health condition affecting the 

employee or a covered family member be supported by a certification from a health care provider. An 

employer may require second or third medical opinions (at the employer's expense) and periodic recertification 

of a serious health condition. An employer may use a health care provider, a human resource professional, a 

leave administrator, or a management official – but not the employee’s direct supervisor – to authenticate or 

clarify a medical certification of a serious health condition. An employer may have a uniformly-applied policy 

requiring employees returning from leave for their own serious health condition to submit a certification that 

they are able to resume work. If reasonable safety concerns exist, an employer may, under certain 

circumstances, require such a certification for employees returning from intermittent FMLA leave. 

UNLAWFUL ACTS 

It is unlawful for any employer to interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise of any right provided by FMLA. 

It is also unlawful for an employer to discharge or discriminate against any individual for opposing any practice, 

or because of involvement in any proceeding, related to FMLA. 

ENFORCEMENT 

The Wage and Hour Division investigates complaints. If violations cannot be satisfactorily resolved, the U.S. 

Department of Labor may bring action in court to compel compliance. Individuals may also be able to bring a 

private civil action against an employer for violations. 

OTHER PROVISIONS 

Special rules apply to employees of local education agencies. Generally, these rules apply to intermittent leave 

or when leave is required near the end of a school term. 

Salaried executive, administrative, and professional employees of covered employers who meet the Fair Labor 

Standards Act (FLSA) criteria for exemption from minimum wage and overtime under Regulations, 29 CFR 

Part 541, do not lose their FLSA-exempt status by using any unpaid FMLA leave. This special exception to the 

“salary basis” requirements for FLSA’s exemption extends only to an “eligible” employee’s use of leave 

required by FMLA. 
For additional information, visit our Wage and Hour Division Website: http://www.wagehour.dol.gov

and/or call our toll-free information and helpline, available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in your time zone, 1-866-

4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243). 

This publication is for general information and is not to be considered in the same light as official statements of 

position contained in the regulations. 

U.S. Department of Labor

Frances Perkins Building 

200 Constitution Avenue, NW 

Washington, DC 20210 

1-866-4-USWAGE

 TTY: 1-866-487-9243

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