Human Resource Blog

FMLA in Pennsylvania

	Attendance Management
Vacation Request / Response Form Weekly Time Sheets Attendance Calendar for 2008, 2009, or 2010 Annual Attendance Tracker Vacation Request Form for 2008, 2009, 2010 (Calendar) Detailed Absence Report

	Benefits
Total Compensation Summary Performance Improvement Plan Performance Appraisal and Review Employee Payroll Status/Change Form Employee Change Form

	HR Management
Confidential Employee Folder Confidential Employee Medical Folder Job File Worksheet Folder Daily EEO Applicant Flow Log Workplace Information Sheets Request to Inspect Personnel Files

How does the FMLA cover pets in Pennsylvania?

The Family and Medical Leave Act does not extend coverage to employees that wish to take time off of work in order to care for sick pets. Even though the FMLA covers time off for employees that need to take care of the health care conditions of covered family members, those covered family members do not include pets.

When an employee has worked for a qualifying company for at least 20 weeks out of the preceding year or for a total of 1,250 hours, the employee may be eligible to take up to 12 weeks off of work for a covered reason or covered family member. Those 20 weeks do not need to be consecutive weeks.

In order to truly be eligible for coverage, the employee needs to work for a company that has at least 50 employees within a 75-mile radius of the employee that wishes to take time off from work. The employee must also take time off for a covered reason, which include the following:

·         For the birth of a child, adoption of a child, or to take a child in through foster care. Both male and female employees may take an equal amount of time off for these reasons.

·         The employee can also take time off to care for a sick child, if the child is under the age of 18.

·         To care for a sick spouse.

·         To care for the employee himself or herself.

·         To care for a sick parent, if the employee is over the age of 18 and if the parent is a biological parents. In-laws do not qualify for coverage under the FMLA.

When the employee takes time away from work for the FMLA, the employee needs to prove to the employer that the family member or the employee is actually sick. Also, the employee should be able to return to work at the end of the time off to the same job or an equivalent job as well as the same salary and benefits. CB