FMLA is the abridged term for the Family and Medical Leave Act and this act is very much applicable in the Sunshine State. Aside from just Florida, FMLA applies to all states and allows for up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave for stipulated purposes such as health care or household needs.

It should be noted that this unpaid leave includes around 26 weeks of Service Member family leave. In the sunshine state, the FMLA shields workers from having to lose employment incentives and their job role if they need to take a healthcare leave for themselves or a family member.

To qualify for this, however, you will need to make available medical verification or certification of your involvement in the issue. The employee’s physician would also be requested to fill a certification form that confirms the individual’s or a close family member’s chronic medical condition.

The employee should make this certification available to their employer within 15 calendar days of obtaining it. The employer must then send the FMLA notification form to the worker in less than two days of obtaining the FMLA application.

On the FMLA documents, the medical practitioner will be expected to include the employee’s role and synopsis. An employer may demand a second or even third point of view, but if a third opinion is necessary, both the employee and the employer will have to collectively agree on the third healthcare practitioner.

Things That Qualify for FMLA Leave in Florida

The following are the most important and relevant reasons that meet the criteria for FMLA leave in Florida under current FMLA regulations.

  1. Pregnancy Leave

There are situations when pregnancy itself can meet the criteria for FMLA, particularly when a physician orders bed rest at any point during the pregnancy. Staff members who seek pregnancy-related leave might be obligated to provide clinical certification to corroborate the pregnancy-related complexity.

  1. Parental Leave after Child Delivery

FMLA leave is available for the delivery of a child, and a mother could very well use FMLA period off for the postpartum period or follow–up care after the baby arrives. A father could also leverage FMLA leave to support his recovering spouse as a result of pregnancy or delivery.

Parents can decide to distribute this 12-week leave across the course of a calendar year by deciding to take a few weeks off at a time or by lowering their regular work hours in a specified week. However, when both parents work within the same company, note that only one person is eligible for pregnancy or childbirth leave.

  1. Adoption or Foster Care

Another FMLA-eligible justification is the placement of a child for adoption or foster care. Workers in Florida are fully permitted to take up to a 12-week leave once a child is placed in their care via adoption or child welfare.

Adoption leave could also take place preceding the actual placement or adoption of a kid if an employee’s exclusion from work is necessary prior to the child’s placement, for instance, to take part in counseling sessions, show up in court, or take trips to some other region to accomplish the adoption.

Note that the location of the adopted child is not usually taken into account when determining if the adoption fits the bill for FMLA.

  1. Medical Leave to Look After a Family Member Dealing with a Severe Health Condition

Employees could very well demand time off to take care of a family member who is suffering from a life-threatening illness. Under existing FMLA regulations, just partners, kids, or parents are deemed to be family members. Employees’ in-laws and grandparents, for instance, aren’t covered.

For FMLA purposes, common illnesses including colds, fever, ear infections, stomach issues, and headaches do not meet the criteria – although a few common ailments that a physician considers severe because of long-term illness, may meet the criteria for FMLA only in certain conditions.

  1. Your Own Life-Threatening Health Condition

A worker’s own medical issue may frequently meet the criteria for FMLA. Workers that are unable to carry out their vital work duties following a serious ailment or persistent medical problem can request leave to address the problem. In addition, FMLA regulations mandate a “period of incapacity” of at least three consecutive calendar days.

If a worker’s situation necessitates two or more trips to a medical professional for the same condition, those trips will have to be made within 30 days of the worker becoming hospitalized. Once again, under FMLA restrictions, employees are expected to be treated for a serious medical condition at least twice in any calendar year, and they may be obligated to provide medical certification of their illness.

  1. Military Family Member Leave

FMLA could also be available for the care of a family member wounded while in active service in the military. Workers may also demand that other issues emerging from a family member’s deployment be handled while on FMLA leave.

  1. Domestic Violence Leave

Companies with at least 50 workers can allow employees who are victims of domestic or sexual violence, or those who have a family or close relative who has been a victim, to take a maximum of three days off within a 12-month period to:

  • Actively seek a restraining order,
  • Seek medical attention or counseling,
  • Seek assistance from a victims’ rights organization, shelter, or rape crisis center,
  • Resettle, improve home security, or
  • Try to obtain legal counsel.

Do You Get Paid for FMLA in Florida?

No. In the Sunshine State, FMLA leave is unpaid; however, employees can be permitted (or compelled) to use accrued paid leave during FMLA leave. Except for a few exclusions, whenever a worker’s FMLA leave expires, the worker has the right to be reappointed into the same or a comparable role.

Conclusion

It is essential to determine if your rationale for leave application conforms with the type permitted within your company’s guidelines – or you face losing your leave application or getting rebuffed.

After you’ve established that you meet the criteria for FMLA for any one of the reasons listed above, you must demonstrate general FMLA eligibility before your leave is endorsed. This could include working for your company for at least a year and submitting FMLA notice requirements.