Spouse Bereavement Leave (Initiative to Amend the FMLA)
Public Comments (2,876)
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May 18th, 2012Someone from Pompano Beach, FL writes:
I fully support this amendment having become a widow, suddenly at the age of 48. My whole life shattered in the course of a few minutes! -
May 18th, 2012Someone from Painesville, OH signed.
May 18th, 2012Someone from Kansas City, MO signed.
May 18th, 2012Someone from Englishtown, NJ signed.
May 18th, 2012Someone from Matthews, NC signed.
May 18th, 2012Someone from Cleveland, OH signed.
May 18th, 2012Someone from Schenectady, NY signed.
May 18th, 2012Someone from Portal, GA signed.
May 18th, 2012Someone from Charlotte, NC signed.
May 18th, 2012Someone from Spring, TX writes:
To whom it may concern: My name is Michelle, I am 42 years old, and widowed. On December 9, 2009 my spouse died unexpectedly from a heart attack while out of town on business, which was 4 hours away from home. I was only allowed 3 days bereavement, yet his body was not released to me from the medical examiners office until 4 days later. I then had to arrange to ship him back home to our family for the funeral which was 10 hours away from where we lived and worked. All in all it was one week from the day he died till the day we had his service. When I was advised that I needed to come back to work I explained that I was unable to at that time because I was not even finished with his funeral and there was personal business that needed to be addressed and could only be done between the hours of 8-5, M-F. I was told to be at work the next morning, which was the day after the funeral, at 8:00am or I was fired. Not only had I lost my husband I now had to lose my job and my only source of income which in turn cost me my home. We ended up 12 days from being homeless. How do you explain to children that not only have they lost their father but now their mother has no way to pay for the bills and they may not have a home. Please don't say we should have been financially prepared, because we were, but in the state of Texas you are not eligible for your life insurance payout until you can provide a certifed death certifcate. This takes months..in my case it took four months before I received the report and another 3 weeks before I received my first check. We went without an income for almost 5 months. No one tells you this when you sign up for life insurance and most people are not aware of it until it happens to them. In my case I could have come back to work in just a few weeks. I just needed a little time to take care of the personal business that comes with a death and to have some time alone to assess my new life. But of course that didn't happen because my job was not protected and my employer could just fire me at will. Every person's situation is different but if we knew that our jobs were protected or that we had recourse then that piece of stress would be something less we had to worry about. It's been 2 1/2 years and I am just now beginning to get back on my feet. I've had to move twice and eventually had to move to a larger city away from everything we had know so that I could provide for my family. If I would have been allowed a little breathing room to take care of personal business and my mental state I would have been a productive employee and things would moved forward. That one decision to fire me created a domino effect has impacted me and our children's life not to mention losing my husband, best friend and their father. The FMLA rules are ridculous. It is a serious mental condition to have your entire world ripped apart in the blink of an eye. There is no way to cope and being allowed only 3 daysREPORT COMMENTS
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No, CancelMay 18th, 2012Someone from Clifton Park, NY signed.
May 18th, 2012Someone from Frederick, MD writes:
Although thankfully I haven't had to go through something like this, I do hope that Congress passes this into law. .REPORT COMMENTS
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No, CancelMay 18th, 2012Someone from Frederick, MD writes:
Although thankfully I haven't had to go through something like this, I do hope that Congress passes this into law. I would be curious to see what they allowed themselves in the same situation.REPORT COMMENTS
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No, CancelMay 18th, 2012Someone from Spring, TX writes:
After my spouse died unexpectedly from a heart attack while out of town (4 hrs) away from home, on business. I too was only allowed 3 days bereavement yet he was body was not released to me from the medical examiners office until 4 days later. I then had to arrange to ship him back home (10 hrs) away to where we grew up for the funeral. All in all it was 1 week one from the day he died till the day we had his service. When I was advised that I needed to come back to work I explained that I was unable to at that time because I was not finished with his funeral. I was told to be at work the next morning at 8:00am or I was fired. Not only had I lost my husband I now had to lose my job and my only source of income which in turn cost me my home. We were 12 days from being homeless. It's been 2 1/2 years and I am just now beginning to get back on my feet. If I would have been allowed a little breathing room to take care of personal business and my mental state I would have been a productive employee and things would moved forward. That one decision to fire me created a domino effect that impacted me and our children's life not to mention losing my husband, best friend and their father. The FMLA rules are ridculous. It is a serious mental condition to have your entire world ripped apart in the blink of an eye. There is no way to cope and being allowed only 3 days is absolutely crazy. How can you get anything taken care of in 3 days. You're very lucky, so to speak, if you can even get the funeral scheduled in 3 days let alone take care of any personal business and take care of your family. Please have these provisions changed to allow for the death of a spouse or child to be included in the FMLA regulations. Those that are grieving will sincerely appreciate it!REPORT COMMENTS
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No, CancelMay 18th, 2012Someone from Ballston Spa, NY signed.
May 18th, 2012Someone from Livonia, MI writes:
There is no requirement that they give you ANY time - paid or unpaid. 3 or 5 days are the most common (usually paid) but that is completely up to the employer. Thinking of all of you who are grieving.REPORT COMMENTS
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No, CancelMay 18th, 2012Someone from Ames, IA writes:
I lost my husband of 13 years in 2006. I am still grieving. It would have been great to have the option to take more than the THREE days my employer allowed me to take to make all the arrangements. Please make this a reality so others can have the time they need to grieve and heal.REPORT COMMENTS
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No, CancelMay 18th, 2012Someone from Palm Bay, FL signed.
May 18th, 2012Someone from Abbottstown, PA signed.
May 18th, 2012Someone from Ballston Spa, NY signed.
May 18th, 2012Someone from Glenmont, NY signed.
May 18th, 2012Someone from Herriman, UT signed.
May 18th, 2012Someone from Sherman, TX writes:
My husband died at age 29 while taking a nap with our 2 year old. He had a heart condition we were not aware of. I was 27 years old, and left to be the sole care giver and provider for our 2 daughters. 3 days was not even long enough to plan his funeral, much less get myself and my children through the sudden unexpected death of my husband and their daddy. I have come extremely close to losing my only source of income due to my panic attacks, depression, doctors appointments and counseling for myself and my children. Grief and the feeling of the loss of a spouse does not end after 3 days. My body was still in schock after 3 days. I hope this passes to help ease the burden on grief stricken widows.REPORT COMMENTS
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No, CancelMay 18th, 2012Someone from Sherman, TX signed.
May 18th, 2012Someone from Salt Lake City, UT writes:
my husband and i have been married for almost three years and i can not imagine losing him let alone having to deal with te fact i couldn't take time off to heal. that is insane. thank you for this information Mel.REPORT COMMENTS
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No, CancelMay 18th, 2012Someone from Lynbrook, NY signed.
May 18th, 2012Someone from Hatfield, PA signed.
May 18th, 2012Someone from Clifton Park, NY writes:
As someone who was widowed at the age of 27, I am saddened that we are forced to return to work in only 3 days following the death of a spouse, or risk losing what is now our only source of income. When I lost my husband, I would leave my house and forget where I was going frequently, and often stayed home when I could because I was afraid of driving. I drove home from work barely able to see through tears and hysterical sobs more than once, because I had no other choice.REPORT COMMENTS
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No, CancelMay 18th, 2012Someone from Chicago, IL signed.
May 18th, 2012Someone from Largo, FL writes:
I am a widow at 56 years of age . It has been two years since his death of Lung Cancer ..Terry Castle was a survivor for 5 months of which required my contstant care and my time which i gave gladly . He could not work during this time and neither could I . Also I have been a housewife most of my life . The Pain of losing Terry was something I cannot describe it is still every moment I fall apart at times have no patience and could not possibly work . I find it horrible that I cannot even recieve his social security for which he was getting .. I have to wait until I am sixty and working was not and is not an option .. I sometimes sleep all day ... at first if i was working i would have killed myself it was so intense .. I pray that there will be mercy on the widow Sara CastleREPORT COMMENTS
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No, CancelMay 18th, 2012Someone from Herriman, UT writes:
I really hope this passes!! I had no idea they were this strict!!REPORT COMMENTS
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No, CancelMay 18th, 2012Someone from Salt Lake City, UT writes:
I believe that losing your whole world, life and dreams in one split second should allow you to take some time off, and grieve. Grieving is the most important parts of healing and moving forward. Thank you for your time.REPORT COMMENTS
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