FMLA
FMLA Explained
The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a federal law that requires employers to provide eligible employees with up to 12 weeks or 60 days of unpaid, job-protected leave for the following reasons:
- The birth of a child or placement of a child for adoption or foster care
- To bond with a child (leave must be taken within 1 year of the child's birth or placement and is taken in a leave without pay status)
- To care for the employee's spouse, child, or parent who has a qualifying serious health condition
- For the employee's own qualifying serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the employee's job
- For qualifying exigencies related to the foreign deployment of a military member who is the employee's spouse, child, or parent
An eligible employee who is a covered service member's spouse, child, parent, or next of kin may also take up to 26 weeks of FMLA leave in a single 12-month period.
THE "ROLLING" LEAVE YEAR
- Bibb County Schools calculates the leave year through this method. An employee is entitled to up to12 weeks of FMLA leave in the year measured backward from the first day that FMLA leave is taken. For example: Leave is counted 1/1/2017 thru 1/1/2018.
Eligible Employees
Employees of the district who have been employed by the district for at least 12-months and who have worked at least 1250 hours during the 12 month period immediately preceding the commencement of the leave are eligible to take unpaid leave under FMLA.
Bibb County Requirements
For employee's who have been absent from his/her position for six consecutive days, please send a Start/End LOA form to the FMLA office, via email on the 7th day starting a leave of absence on the first day that the employee was absent. It is the employee's responsibility to get the paperwork needed for their leave of absence completed and returned. Generally, employees must give 30-days' advance notice of the need for FMLA leave. If it is not possible to give 30-days' notice, an employee must notify the employer as soon as possible as it is the responsibility of the employee to make sure that their administrator is aware of their absence, in an effort to insure coverage of their school/department.
Keying Leave in Aesop/ExecuTime
It is the responsibility of the employee to key their absences in Aesop or ExecuTime if known prior to leaving the site. Once an employee has left the site, it is the responsibility of the school/department to key the leave accurately. It is imperative that leave is keyed in a timely manner.
Return to Work
Once an employee has been out on an approved leave of absence and has been released (without restrictions) to return to work, a statement of release from the attending physician must be submitted to the HR department prior to being permitted onsite. A Start/End LOA form must be forwarded to FMLA office by the school/department ending their leave of absence on the first day of return. It is imperative that the Start/End LOA form is submitted timely.
Leave Exhausted
If you are on an approved leave of absence, have exhausted all of your sick leave and have benefits (health insurance, dental, vision, life, etc.) through Bibb County Schools, you will need to pay your benefits directly. Please contact Katrina Swindle at Katrina.Swindle@bcsdk12.net in the Benefits Department for further directions.
Please contact Sandra Baxter, FMLA Administrator via email at Sandra.Baxter@bcsdk12.net for ALL FMLA documents and further inquires.