Family Medical Leave Act 101 for Employees

 Posted on May 09, 2025 in Employment Law

One of the most important laws protecting American workers is the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). It gives qualifying employees a legal right to take time off from work to deal with certain family or personal needs. If you need to take leave from your work, this law offers crucial protections. One of the ways you can empower yourself as an employee is to know about this law and understand a bit about the rights it gives you and what it obligates employers to do. An experienced Baltimore, MD FMLA employment law attorney can advise you on your rights under FMLA.

How Does FMLA Protect Employees?

FMLA requires employers with 50 or more employees to provide their workers with up to 12 weeks of unpaid but job-protected (and health insurance-protected) leave under certain circumstances. These include giving birth and caring for a newborn child, nursing an immediate relative who is sick, receiving a child for adoption or foster care, healing from a serious health condition that leaves the employee unable to work, and in situations related to a family member’s active duty.

Who Is Eligible for FMLA?

If you work for a company that employs 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius, you are eligible for FMLA as long as you have worked for that employer for at least 1250 hours in the last calendar year. This comes out to about 24 hours a week.

What Does FMLA Obligate an Employer To Do After the Leave Period Ends? 

FMLA obligates your employer to reinstate you at the end of the leave period, in a position that is identical or equivalent to what you held before you left, with the same pay and benefits. There are a couple of exceptions to this rule, however. If your job was terminated for reasons that have nothing to do with your leave, your employer is not legally obligated to reinstate you. Additionally, employers do not have to reinstate certain key highly-paid employees if doing so would create substantial financial injury to the company.

Call a Baltimore, MD Employment Law Attorney

Freedman Law, LLC represents employees on all employment law matters in federal and state court. If you have questions about your rights under FMLA or feel that your rights have been violated by an employer, contact the experienced Annapolis, MD employment law attorney who can represent you and protect your rights. We offer reasonable fees and can be reached for a consultation at 410-290-6232.