Parental Bereavement Leave (The Farley-Kluger Initiative to Amend the FMLA)
36,820 Letters and Emails Sent So Far
I, the undersigned, support The Farley-Kluger Initiative that supports extension of coverage and existing benefits allowed by FMLA to employees that have experienced the death of a child.
The FMLA applies to all public agencies, all public and private elementary and secondary schools, and companies with 50 or more employees. These employers must provide an eligible employee with up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year for any of the following reasons:
* for the birth and care of a newborn child
* for placement with the employee of a child for adoption or foster care;
* to care for an immediate family member with a serious health condition;
* to take medical leave because of a serious health condition; or
* to care for an injured service member in the family
Employees are eligible for leave if they have worked for their employer at least 12 months, at least 1,250 hours over the past 12 months, and work at a location where the company employs 50 or more employees within 75 miles.
It is my opinion that the death of a child is one of the worst experiences that anyone can endure. I find it unacceptable that the death of a child is not included as a protected reason to qualify for the benefits that are set forth in the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993.
As your constituent, I encourage you to give this issue serious consideration and either introduce or sponsor a standalone bill to address this issue or make the necessary modification to the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993. Since the existing FMLA defines a child as anyone under the age of 18, verbiage will need to be added to allow bereaved parents, regardless of age of the child, to qualify for these benefits.
The Farley-Kluger Initiative began in January, 2011 as a grass-roots advocacy effort to petition change. Inspired by these efforts, Senator Jon Tester (MT) has introduced The Parental Bereavement Act of 2011 (S1358) in the Senate. I believe additional support needs to be given to this issue in both the House and the Senate.
I support Kelly Farley, Founder of the Grieving Dads Project (www.GrievingDads.com) and Barry Kluger, Author and grieving father, in their efforts to make these necessary changes and allow the time needed to begin the healing process.
The Farley-Kluger Initiative is proud to have the support of such organizations as Parents of Murdered Children (POMC), The M.I.S.S. Foundation, Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support, Inc., The JED Foundation, Blue Star Families, Gold Star Mothers and Fathers, The Children's Bereavement Center of Miami, American Academy of Grief Counseling, The American Institute for Health Care Professionals and Students of AMF, to name a few.
The FMLA applies to all public agencies, all public and private elementary and secondary schools, and companies with 50 or more employees. These employers must provide an eligible employee with up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year for any of the following reasons:
* for the birth and care of a newborn child
* for placement with the employee of a child for adoption or foster care;
* to care for an immediate family member with a serious health condition;
* to take medical leave because of a serious health condition; or
* to care for an injured service member in the family
Employees are eligible for leave if they have worked for their employer at least 12 months, at least 1,250 hours over the past 12 months, and work at a location where the company employs 50 or more employees within 75 miles.
It is my opinion that the death of a child is one of the worst experiences that anyone can endure. I find it unacceptable that the death of a child is not included as a protected reason to qualify for the benefits that are set forth in the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993.
As your constituent, I encourage you to give this issue serious consideration and either introduce or sponsor a standalone bill to address this issue or make the necessary modification to the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993. Since the existing FMLA defines a child as anyone under the age of 18, verbiage will need to be added to allow bereaved parents, regardless of age of the child, to qualify for these benefits.
The Farley-Kluger Initiative began in January, 2011 as a grass-roots advocacy effort to petition change. Inspired by these efforts, Senator Jon Tester (MT) has introduced The Parental Bereavement Act of 2011 (S1358) in the Senate. I believe additional support needs to be given to this issue in both the House and the Senate.
I support Kelly Farley, Founder of the Grieving Dads Project (www.GrievingDads.com) and Barry Kluger, Author and grieving father, in their efforts to make these necessary changes and allow the time needed to begin the healing process.
The Farley-Kluger Initiative is proud to have the support of such organizations as Parents of Murdered Children (POMC), The M.I.S.S. Foundation, Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support, Inc., The JED Foundation, Blue Star Families, Gold Star Mothers and Fathers, The Children's Bereavement Center of Miami, American Academy of Grief Counseling, The American Institute for Health Care Professionals and Students of AMF, to name a few.
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3 days is not enough for the loss of a child for sure.
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