The Iowa FMLA is there for the times when family lives are under stress – either good stress or bad – and need full attention. It provides up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for circumstances like these:
- The birth or adoption of a child.
- Bringing a foster child into your home.
- When a member of your immediate family has a serious health problem.
When the stresses of family life become overwhelming, you may need to take some time off to focus on the situation at home. Whether it’s the good news of a newborn, or the difficult news of a serious illness in the family, it may require some extended time off. There is a program available to protect your job if that happens.
All private employers with 50 or more workers must abide by the Iowa FMLA law. Public employees and schoolteachers are covered despite staff size.
There is also the all-important issue of medical coverage through payroll deductions. Because the employee is on unpaid leave, the deduction must come from somewhere. The employer will pay the premiums and they will become an advance against future pay. When the employee returns to work, the deductions made during leave time will be taken out of those paychecks. It is an important matter with legal implications, and both workers and employers are both urged to sign a written document.
There are some responsibilities that must be fulfilled by you or your employer if you’re using, or plan to make use of, the FMLA. For example, your employer should provide immediate notice in writing to you explaining the status of your leave and letting you know how and when to keep in touch with your place of business in so you can be certain of maintaining your position. In turn, you’re obliged to respond to those written instructions to stay in good stead with your employer.
The Iowa FMLA poster needs to be displayed at all jobsites throughout the state.
