Family Medical Leave Act

Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Made Simple

 * Inver Grove Heights School District is a covered employer

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a federal law that allows qualifying employees the right to take unpaid time off to deal with certain family and medical challenges without losing health care coverage during the absence or without losing any benefits or your job upon return.

There are 3 main protections that FMLA offers: 1) unpaid time off, 2) continued healthcare insurance coverage during FMLA leave, 3) benefits and job protection when the employee returns.

These FMLA protections are for up to 12 weeks during a 12-month period.

FMLA Coverage Terms

To be eligible for FMLA coverage with Inver Grove Heights School District you must:

  • Work within 75 miles of Inver Grove Heights School District
  • Have worked for Inver Grove Heights School District for at least 12 months (does not have to be consecutive)
  • Have worked at least 1250 hours during the 12 months right before the FMLA leave is to begin

Bottom line, you must be close enough to Inver Grove Heights School District and must have worked long enough for Inver Grove Heights School District to qualify. These requirements protect Inver Grove Heights School District from hardships supporting extended leave for recently hired employees.

Employee Notification

FMLA requires an employee requesting FMLA leave to give the employer at least 30 days notice, if possible. If the conditions of the situation do not allow 30 days, then the employee must make every effort to let the employer know as soon as possible.

If you request FMLA leave, you must follow Inver Grove Heights School District’s leave procedure for FMLA. You must provide enough information for Human Resources to “reasonably determine” whether FMLA applies to your situation.

You may also be asked to keep Human Resources updated on your expected return to work date and to provide a doctor’s note that says it is okay for you to return to your job.

Employer Notification

If you request FMLA leave or Inver Grove Heights School District Human Resources thinks that your leave may qualify under FMLA, Human Resources is required by law to provide you the following information in a timely fashion (within 5 business days):

  • Notice that your leave may qualify under FMLA
  • Details of how the 12 month period is applied to your situation
  • Any requirements that you must give to Human Resources to certify that you meet one of the qualifying events (approved reasons) for FMLA
  • Policy about whether you can or must use paid leave with any unpaid FMLA leave
  • Any requirements for paying premium payments during unpaid leave and the process for doing so
  • Your rights to keep your benefits and equivalent job when you return
  • Designation as a “key employee” and how that may affect your job protection under FMLA
  • Policy about whether you owe for the payment of health insurance premiums while you were on unpaid FMLA leave if you don’t come back to work after the FMLA leave