Intermittent Leave and the Family Medical Leave Act

Abstract

The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides eligible employees the right to take up to twelve work weeks (480 hours) of unpaid leave during a twelve-month period for qualifying family and medical reasons, or for any qualifying exigency stemming from military duty. Twenty-six workweeks (1040 hours) of unpaid job protected leave in a twelve-month period are available for eligible employees to care for a covered service member with a serious injury or illness. Since the FMLA’s enactment, human resource professionals have faced many challenges with implementing the medical leave provisions of the FMLA. One particular challenge facing employers is intermittent FMLA leave and its implications.

Keywords: FMLA, Intermittent Leave, Challenges with Intermittent Leave