Print View

Employment
E-ALERT
March 2013

FMLA Amendments Providing Expanded Protections for Military Families Become Effective March 8, 2013

A U.S. Department of Labor Final Rule amending certain regulations of the Family and Medical Leave Act becomes effective on March 8, 2013.

This Final Rule:

• extends the availability of FMLA leave to family members of members of the Regular Armed Forces for qualifying exigencies arising out of the servicemember's deployment;
• defines those deployments covered under these provisions;
• extends FMLA military caregiver leave for family members of current servicemembers to include an injury or illness that existed prior to service and was aggravated in the line of duty on active duty; and
• extends FMLA military caregiver leave to family members of certain veterans with serious injuries or illnesses.

The DOL has issued a new poster incorporating these amendments, which all covered employers should use no later than March 8, 2013. The poster may be downloaded here.

CONTACT

The new rules are technical and complex, and will likely require modifications to your existing FMLA policy. If you have any questions about this alert or would like to discuss your company's employment policies, please contact one of our employment attorneys, Gary M. Feldman or Tamsin R. Kaplan.

This article is provided as a courtesy and may not be relied upon as legal advice, or to avoid taxes and penalties. Distribution to promote, market, or recommend any arrangement or investment to avoid or evade taxes, including penalties, is expressly forbidden. Any communication with the author as to its contents, does not, of itself, create a lawyer-client relationship. Under the ethical rules applicable to lawyers in some jurisdictions, this may be considered advertising.