Family Leave News & Guides
Expert guides, news, and analysis on FMLA and US family leave law
FMLA Through Sedgwick: Claims, Forms & Process
Sedgwick administers FMLA claims for Walmart and many other large employers. Here's how to file a claim through mySedgwick, what documentation Sedgwick requires, and how to check your status.
FMLA Paperwork: Forms WH-380-E, WH-380-F & WH-381 Explained
FMLA requires specific forms: WH-380-E for your own health condition, WH-380-F for a family member, and WH-381 for employer designation. Here's how to complete each one.
FMLA for Part-Time Employees: Do You Qualify?
Part-time employees can qualify for FMLA if they've worked 1,250 hours in the past 12 months — averaging about 24 hours per week. Here's how to check your eligibility.
FMLA for Family Members: Caring for Parents, Spouse & Children
FMLA lets you take up to 12 weeks off to care for a spouse, child, or parent with a serious health condition. Here's who qualifies as family and what care you can provide.
FMLA Eligibility: Who Qualifies & How to Check in 2026
FMLA eligibility requires 12 months of employment, 1,250 hours worked, and an employer with 50+ employees within 75 miles. Here's how to check if you qualify.
FMLA and Short-Term Disability: How They Work Together
FMLA protects your job while short-term disability pays you. Here's how FMLA and STD work together, how to file both claims, and what happens when benefits run out.
Department of Labor FMLA: Official Rules & Resources
The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division enforces FMLA — it doesn't process individual leave requests. Here's what the DOL actually does, its official forms and guidance, and exactly how to file a complaint if your employer violates your rights.
Walmart LOA: How Sedgwick Handles Your Leave of Absence
Every Walmart leave of absence is filed and decided by Sedgwick, not your store. Here's exactly how to request medical, personal, intermittent, or military LOA, what documents to have ready, and what to do if Sedgwick denies your claim.
Amazon PTO Policy: Vacation, Sick Time & Paid Time Off
Amazon splits time off into three different buckets — and warehouse associates get a very different setup than corporate employees. Here's how Amazon PTO, vacation, and UPT actually work.
Military Parental Leave: Army, Navy, Air Force Policies
DoD-wide military parental leave gives service members 12 weeks of paid leave after a birth, adoption, or foster placement — the same entitlement across Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force. Here's how it actually works.
Companies with the Best Maternity Leave in 2026
Google pays 24 weeks, Amazon and Microsoft pay 20, and Deloitte gives every parent 16 weeks. Here's how the companies with the best maternity leave in 2026 actually compare, and what most workers get instead.
Google Parental Leave: What Googlers Get
Google pays birth parents for 24 weeks of leave and non-birth parents for 18 weeks, plus adoption and fertility benefits. Here's what's actually in the policy and how it fits with FMLA.
Deloitte Parental Leave: 16 Fully Paid Weeks for New Parents
Deloitte gives most U.S. employees 16 weeks of fully paid, gender-neutral parental leave — one of the most generous policies in professional services. But starting in 2027, it's being cut in half for employees in internal support roles. Here's what's actually guaranteed and how it works with FMLA.
Starbucks Parental Leave: Benefits for Starbucks Partners
Starbucks pays birth parents for 18 weeks of parental leave and non-birth parents for 12, both at 100% of average pay, once you clear the benefits-eligible hours threshold. Here's who qualifies and how to request it.
Walmart Maternity & Paternity Leave: What to Expect
Walmart pays birth mothers 9 weeks of maternity leave, then adds 6 weeks (hourly) or 12 weeks (salaried) of parental leave. Here's exactly how the pay, eligibility, and paternity leave rules break down.
Amazon Maternity Leave: What Amazon Employees Get
Amazon's own benefits page says birth parents get up to 20 weeks fully paid leave and partners get up to 6 weeks — the same for warehouse and corporate staff. Here's how that company policy stacks against FMLA and state paid leave.
CT Paid Leave Aflac: How to File Claims Through Aflac
CT Paid Leave Aflac claims go through a CT.gov account, not a standalone sign-up. Here's the exact filing process, the documents Aflac needs, and how long payment actually takes.
Rhode Island TCI: Temporary Caregiver Insurance Guide
Rhode Island TCI pays 60% of wages, up to $1,150/week, for 8 weeks of family leave. Here's how eligibility, benefits, and the strict 30-day filing deadline work.
Maine Paid Family Leave: ME PFML Benefits
Maine paid leave (ME PFML) replaces up to 90% of wages, capped at $1,249/week, for up to 12 weeks. Benefits began May 1, 2026 — here's who qualifies and how to apply.
Minnesota Paid Leave: MN Benefits & Eligibility
Minnesota Paid Leave pays up to 90% of wages (max $1,423/week) for up to 12 weeks of family or medical leave, 20 weeks combined. Here's who qualifies and how to apply.
Delaware Paid Leave: DE Benefits & Eligibility
Delaware Paid Leave pays 80% of wages, up to $900/week, for up to 12 weeks. See who qualifies, how the 10-24 vs. 25+ employee tiers work, and how to apply.
Maryland FAMLI: Paid Leave Starting 2027
Maryland FAMLI isn't paying benefits yet. Payroll contributions and benefit payments both start January 2027 under HB 102 — here's the real timeline and what to use for leave right now.
Oregon Paid Leave: Benefits, Eligibility & How to Apply
Oregon Paid Leave replaces up to 100% of wages for lower earners (max $1,692/week) for 12 weeks, at employers of any size. Here's who qualifies, the 30-day filing window, and how to apply.
Colorado FAMLI: Paid Family Leave in Colorado
Colorado FAMLI pays up to 90% of wages (max $1,448/week) for up to 12 weeks, and job protection applies no matter how small your employer is. Here's how eligibility, pay, and the application actually work.
CT Paid Leave: Complete Guide to Connecticut PFL
CT Paid Leave pays 95% of wages up to $1,016/week for 12 weeks — the highest replacement rate in the nation. Here's how CT Paid Leave benefits, eligibility, and CT FMLA job protection actually work together.
Massachusetts PFML: Paid Family Leave in MA
Massachusetts PFML pays up to 80% of wages (max $1,230/week) for up to 12 weeks of family leave, 20 weeks of medical leave, or 26 weeks combined. Here's how DFML benefits work and how to apply.
Washington Paid Family Leave 2026: WA PFML Benefits & Eligibility
Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave (WA PFML) pays up to 90% of wages (max $1,647/week) for up to 12 weeks per leave type, 16 combined. Every WA worker is eligible for benefits — there's no employer-size threshold.
New Jersey Family Leave Insurance: NJFLA & NJ FLI Guide
NJFLA protects your job for 12 weeks and NJ FLI pays 85% of wages (up to $1,119/week) while you're out. Here's how the two New Jersey family leave programs actually fit together, plus the 2026 employer-size change.
New York Paid Family Leave: Benefits, Pay & How to Apply
New York Paid Family Leave (NY PFL) pays 67% of your average weekly wage, up to $1,229/week, for 12 weeks — and covers every private-sector employee, no matter how small the company. Here's how eligibility, pay, and filing actually work.
California Paid Family Leave: CFRA, PFL Benefits & Eligibility
California Paid Family Leave pays 90% of wages (up to $1,765/week) for 8 weeks of bonding or caregiving leave. Paired with CFRA job protection and Pregnancy Disability Leave, California workers get the strongest leave stack in the country. Here's how the pieces actually fit.
PTO Accrual: How It Works & How to Calculate It
PTO accrual is how you earn paid time off gradually instead of getting it all at once. Here's how the math works, the four accrual methods employers use, and how caps and rollover rules affect your balance.
What Is PTO? Meaning, Definition & How It Works
PTO means paid time off — a single bank of paid hours you can use for vacation, sickness, or personal matters. Here's the exact definition, how accrual and unlimited PTO work, and whether any law actually requires it.
Leave of Absence: Meaning, Types & How to Request One
A leave of absence is an extended period away from work — mandatory (FMLA, USERRA) or voluntary, paid or unpaid, job-protected or not. Here's the meaning behind the term, every type, and how to request one.
Bereavement Leave: What It Is & What You're Entitled To
Bereavement leave meaning: paid or unpaid time off after a death in the family. No federal law requires it, but 5 states do. Here's what you're actually entitled to and how to request it.
Paternity Leave for Men: A Complete Guide for New Dads
Confused why a benefit called "maternity leave" would apply to men? It's a naming problem, not a legal one. Here's what paternity leave for men actually covers under FMLA and state law, and how to request it.
Paternity Leave for Fathers: What Dads Are Entitled To
Fathers have the same FMLA rights as mothers: 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave. Thirteen states also pay dads during bonding leave. Here's exactly what paternity leave for fathers covers, state by state.
Short-Term Disability for Pregnancy: Maternity Leave Pay
Short-term disability for pregnancy pays 50-90% of your wages during childbirth recovery. Here's how much each mandatory-STD state pays, how it stacks with FMLA and PFL, and how to file a claim.
Maternity Leave Pay: Do You Get Paid on Maternity Leave?
Maternity leave pay depends entirely on your state and employer — federal law alone doesn't pay you a cent. Here's the honest breakdown of the four ways new parents actually get paid, roughly how much each pays, and what to ask HR before you go.
Maternity Leave in America: What You're Actually Entitled To
American maternity leave has no federal paid-leave guarantee. Here's exactly what FMLA, state paid family leave, short-term disability, and employer policies actually give new mothers in 2026.
PFL Maternity Leave: How Paid Family Leave Covers New Moms
Thirteen states run Paid Family Leave programs that pay new moms for bonding leave — but the amount ranges from $900 to $1,765 a week. Here's what each state actually pays, sourced directly from state program data.
Paid Family Leave for Pregnancy: What Moms Need to Know
Paid leave for pregnancy is really two separate benefits: short-term disability for your physical recovery, and state Paid Family Leave for bonding time after. Here's how they fit together, state by state.
Intermittent FMLA: Complete Guide to Flexible Leave
Intermittent FMLA lets you take your leave entitlement in separate blocks instead of all at once. Here's how intermittent leave works, who qualifies, how to calculate your hours, and how to request it for medical care or family caregiving.
FMLA for Mental Health: Depression, Anxiety & Stress Leave
FMLA and mental health leave: how depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other diagnosed conditions qualify, what documentation you need, and how to request leave without oversharing.
Does FMLA Pay You? FMLA Pay & Benefits Explained
FMLA provides job-protected leave but does not pay you directly. Here's how to get paid during FMLA through state PFL programs, short-term disability, employer benefits, and accrued PTO.