Family and Medical Leave in Kennewick, WA
Are you in need of taking leave from your job due to family or medical reasons? As an employee, you are entitled to certain rights.
As a Washington worker, you may have the right to take up to twelve weeks off work to deal with your own serious health condition, or a close family member's serious health condition, or to bond with your new child.
Taking leave under these laws has several benefits for employees: (1) your employer has to continue health insurance coverage during the period of leave, (2) you may receive financial payments from the Employment Security Department, and (3) you may have the legal right to return to the same job or a substantially similar job at the end of your leave. So when can you take advantage of these legal rights?
If you meet the following requirements, you are probably eligible for twelve weeks of leave under the FMLA:
- You work for an employer with 50 or more employees within 75 miles of your worksite.
- You have worked for your employer for at least twelve months.
- You have worked at least 1,250 hours for your employer in the past twelve months.
- You experience a qualifying reason for leave such as you or a close family member have a serious health condition or your son or daughter was just born.
- You give your employer at least 30 days advance notice of your intent to take leave or as soon as possible after learning that you need to take leave.
- You provide medical certification to your employer within fifteen days if your employer asks you for it.