After I have my baby, will I get assistance from the Family Medical Leave Act? Please help?

Question

I am going to be leaving my job in December to have my baby but I also will make my year at my job in December and I was thinking about taking some vacation time until my year comes around to qualify for the Family Medical Leave Act. But I really don't have alot of time saved up right now but will in December. My question is when I have my baby will I get assistance from the FMLA as well as my saved time from my job. Please help!!!

Answer 1

The other responders are correct.  The only thing the FMLA does is ensure that you cannot be fired while you are taking time off to have a baby/take care of serious family matters.  If you don't have much paid vacation, they will only pay you for those days for which you have paid vacation.  The rest will be time off without pay until you go back.  (I didn't get paid for the second through fourth months at my first 'real' job after having my kid because I had no vacation time.  But I still had a job to go back to because of FMLA.)

And no, you will not qualify for unemployment because you will still have a job.  You have to weigh your options.  Quit a job you've had for almost a year which is guaranteed pay as soon as you go back, or quit and try to get another job after you're done having your kid.  I wouldn't recommend option two.  It is -very- hard to get rehired when you left your last job before the year was up -and- you have a baby.

Answer 2

FMLA does not provide $, just the right to take time off from work.

Answer 3

You should check with your employer. Do you qualify for Short term disability? If you do, you will receive 6weeks paid for maternity leave. You can take up to 12 weeks off in a year and return to your previous pay and position. After that, you can take additional time off, up to a year, and be guaranteed a job, but it doesn't have to be the same position that you had when you went on FMLA, and it doesn't have to pay the same.

I strongly urge you to check with your companies HR rep to see what benefits you qualify for.

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Answer 4

FML you vvill qualify for but you dont get paid. You just have a certain amount of time off your job and they cant fire you, but you dont get any money from it.

Answer 5

After 12 months on the job you are protected if your employer has 50 or more employees.  You can not claim unemployment during your FMLA leave.