FMLA is a federal law that entitles employees to 12 weeks of unpaid leave. This time can be used, over the course of 12 months, to care for a newborn, a newly adopted child, a seriously ill family member, an employee’s own health conditions, in situations of qualifying exigency to be with an employee’s spouse, parent or child if they are an active service member or have an impending call to active duty in support of a contingency operation, or for the care of an injured service member if the service member is the employee’s spouse, child, parent, or “next of kin”.