The Complexities of Leave-Of-Absence Law

The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides eligible employees with 12 weeks of unpaid medical leave per year, but employers must consider additional leave required by a number of other laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), state disability anti-discrimination laws and, increasingly, state and municipal paid sick leave laws that address absences arising from minor illnesses. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius attorneys Michelle Seldin Silverman and Kimberley E. Lunetta clarify these intersecting and overlapping requirements, which are often implemented through regulations that manage to be both hyper-technical and vague.