The Family and Medical Leave Act, designed to allow qualified employees to take up to 12 weeks of leave within a 12-month period for the birth or adoption of a child, to care for a family member or spouse with a serious medical condition, or for employees' own health problems, celebrates its 11th anniversary this month. However there is some confusion as to what qualifies as a serious health condition and sometimes employee abuse of the law occurs. Employer groups and human resources professionals have asked the Labor Department to clarify the family leave regulations.
See "Reading of family leave rules varies by company", T. Shawn Taylor, Chicago Tribune, February 23, 2004