The Maryland FMLA law is the program offering you the support you need for critical times. Those times could be good – the birth of a child, an adoption, receiving a foster child into the home. They could be difficult – a loved one involved in an accident or a serious illness in the immediate family.
In either case, the program allows you up to 12 weeks of leave (unpaid) if you fall under the allowable circumstances. If you work for a private business, your employer is obliged to follow the Family and Medical Leave Act if the workplace employs 50 or more people. Pubic employees and teachers are eligible even if staff sizes are smaller than 50.
The Maryland FMLA law is there to help when the stresses of family life – both the good and the bad, from birth to illness – make it necessary to turn away from work for a while. Between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day it’s not unusual to consider the needs of the family a little more than usual, and that makes it a useful time to consider the law.
Workplace medical coverage premiums are paid by payroll deductions. What happen when a worker is on unpaid leave? The employer pays the premium and declares it an advance on the worker’s future paychecks. When returning to work, the payroll deductions during the unpaid leave are taken from the paycheck.
Under Maryland FMLA you and your employer must follow certain guidelines. For example, the employer must keep you informed. He or she must provide you with a notification in writing immediately, letting you know how to keep in touch to insure you maintain your good status with the workplace. You in turn must respond to those instructions promptly.
The Maryland FMLA poster should be prominent at every jobsite.
