Human Resource Blog

Pets and the FMLA in New Jersey

	Compensation
Employee Payroll Action Form W-4 Employee Withholding Allowance Cert. Employee Payroll Status/Change Form Direct Deposit Form Total Compensation Summary

	Termination
Employee Warning Notice Employee Final Warning Notice Employee Resignation Form Exit Interview Questionnaire Separation Checklist

	Workplace Management
Attendance Organizer for 2008, 2009, or 2010 Employee Warning Notice Employee Counseling Report Performance Improvement Plan Employee Performance Evaluation Form Employee Final Warning Notice Separation Checklist Harassment Prevention Kit

Are dogs covered under the FMLA in New Jersey?

Dogs are not covered under the Family and Medical Leave Act in any state, including New Jersey. The FMLA is a federal Act that covers time off for employees that need to take time away from work in order to care for their own medical conditions or in order to care for a qualifying family member with a covered medical condition.
Qualifying family members under the FMLA, include the following:
• A parent of the employee, as long as the employee is over the age of 18 and the parent is a biological parent. In-laws do not qualify for coverage under the FMLA.
• A child of the employee, as long as the child is under the age of 18.
• A spouse of the employee.
• Employees (both male and female) may take time off of work under the FMLA in order to care for a newborn child, a newly adopted child, or a child that the employee took in through foster care.
Employees that would like to take time off must also meet additional qualifying conditions. For example, the employee needs to have been employed by the company for at least 20 weeks out of the previous year of 1,250 hours. Those 20 weeks to not have to have been consecutive. Also, the employee needs to work for a company that qualifies for coverage. In order for the company to qualify for FMLA coverage, the company needs to have at least 50 employees that work within 75 miles of the employee that wishes to take FMLA time off.
When an employee takes FMLA time off, the employee may take up to 12 weeks off of work for each calendar year. The employer is required to give the employee the same job when he or she returns or an equivalent job if the same job is no longer available. CB