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California Family Rights Act
The
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) is California’s law allowing new
parents to take up to 12 weeks of leave from work to bond with their
newborn child. Like the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the
federal law that lets new parents take leave from work, there are a
variety of rules that apply to who can take leave and when.
Like the federal law, to qualify for leave under the California
Family Rights Act, you must have worked for your employer for at
least one year and you must have worked at least 1250 hours in the
last 12 months.
In
addition, like the federal law, only employers with at least 50
employees are required to provide parents with this leave.
What makes this law different than federal law? In
California, new mothers may be able to take both CFRA leave and
leave for any disability while they are pregnant under the Pregnancy
Disability Leave Law (PDLL). This is different than federal law.
Under federal law, any leave taken for a pregnancy related
disability is part of FMLA. This means that new mothers can only
take 12 weeks of leave whether this leave is for a serious medical
condition during their pregnancy or to bond with their newborn baby.
Under California law, some mothers can take up to 7 months of
leave. Four months of this leave may qualify as pregnancy
disability leave and 12 weeks as leave to bond with your child under
the California Family Rights Act. Each type of leave has different
requirements. Some California moms will only qualify for one type
of leave, others will qualify for both, and some may not qualify for
either.
It
is important that you understand what you are entitled to and what
type of leave you are taking when you take it. While your employer
is required to give you notice of the leaves you may be entitled to,
many employers don’t fully understand the intricacies of leave
related to pregnancy. Therefore, it is in your best interest to
fully educate yourself to ensure that you receive all of the leave
you are entitled to.
For more information on the California Family Rights and other leave
time available to pregnant women and parents, visit LAPregnancy's
sponsor today at
www.pregnancylawyer.com or call Attorney
Sarah B. Schlehr directly at (310) 492-5757.
This Belly
Scoop has been sponsored by Sara Schlehr, The Pregnancy Lawyer for
you! |
