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August 2015 Moms
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Experience with FMLA?

malonc2malonc2 member
in August 2015 Moms
Sorry if this has been covered. I searched and found nothing. I am allowed 8 weeks full pay maternity leave then FMLA kicks in from the start of the school year until 12 weeks. Do I need to tell my employer now if I choose to take these extra weeks? Also, am I allowed to keep my insurance while on FMLA (I have great coverage) or will I have to use cobra?

HR has confused me so much and I am just looking for others' experience before I call yet again to discuss.
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Re: Experience with FMLA?

  • lvrunningirlielvrunningirlie member
    Are you a teacher?
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  • malonc2malonc2 member
    Yup! My leave starts the day I have the baby (unfortunately) but FMLA begins the day school starts
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  • Seed0824Seed0824 member
    In NJ you have to give 30 days notice and can keep your insurance.
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  • GirlOnTheBeachGirlOnTheBeach member
    You should notify them sooner rather than later and get started on paperwork. You should still be able to keep your insurance. Cobra is usually more for if you've lost your insurance due to losing employment.
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  • lvrunningirlielvrunningirlie member
    malonc2 said:

    Yup! My leave starts the day I have the baby (unfortunately) but FMLA begins the day school starts

    They definitely need to know about you leaving (principal as well) so they can get a long term sub lined up. My principal is still struggling to I find someone qualified to take that position. And if you have a union or something like it I'd hit them up for clarification. I had a lot of questions regarding my maternity leave that our Hr just confused me about. But our union was able to answer in a way I understood.
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  • malonc2malonc2 member
    That's a great idea. I'll contact the union. I know they need to find a sub to cover me but I kind of want to make sure we can afford me taking two months unpaid off etc before I commit.
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  • lvrunningirlielvrunningirlie member
    My due date is August 12, we start school August 23... So I'll need a sub regardless lol. Good luck!
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  • CaliforniaDream87CaliforniaDream87 member
    You're only going to get these answers from your HR department. I would call back. All we can do is speculate.
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  • daniellepandadaniellepanda member
    Every employer is different so you really need to talk to the head of HR ASAP. It also depends on your state. In California your employer has to continue their portion of your insurance premium for the remainer of your fmla, and any portion you usually pay is still due from you each month. Some employers are really nice though and don't make you pay your portion on your leave but you need to ask. I'm pretty sure with the new specifics passed with Obama care this past year they cannot legally make you pay cobra anymore (when I had my son 4 years ago they did, once you hit 12 weeks the employer didn't have to cover their portion of a premium anymore but that has changed!)
    Also at your next Ob apt ask to speak to the person in charge of handling disability and fmla leave questions.

    Good luck!
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  • malonc2malonc2 member
    Thanks! As I stated, I will definitely talk to hr and my Union but just wanted to get different perspectives!
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  • bpwife&mamabpwife&mama member
    malonc2 said:

    Thanks! As I stated, I will definitely talk to hr and my Union but just wanted to get different perspectives!

    I'm not trying to be snarky, but what perspective are you going to gain from knowing how my job handles FMLA leave? You've got to find out how your employer handles it.
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  • cosplaymomcosplaymom member
    You need to confirm with HR how many weeks past your 8 weeks paid that your employer will allow as leave without pay. FMLA normally starts the day you stop going to work due to pregnancy, whether you are paid by benefits or not. Typically I think you get 12 weeks for a natural birth, 16 or 18 if you had a C-section?
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  • Perfect SonnetPerfect Sonnet member

    From my experience, when you take FMLA and aren't supplementing with any saved PTO or sick leave, the employer does not offer you benefits.  Also, when I was taking 100% time off with my last employer, I had to tell them way in advance, have a doctor fill out a form, and jump through a bunch of hoops.

    I agree with the others that you should definitely talk to your HR dept ASAP and see what their deal is.  Good luck!


     

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  • Perfect SonnetPerfect Sonnet member
    cosplaymom said:
    You need to confirm with HR how many weeks past your 8 weeks paid that your employer will allow as leave without pay. FMLA normally starts the day you stop going to work due to pregnancy, whether you are paid by benefits or not. Typically I think you get 12 weeks for a natural birth, 16 or 18 if you had a C-section?
    No, FMLA is always 12 weeks (unless the individual employer offers or lets you take longer).  I am not sure about the particulars involved with teachers giving birth outside the bounds of the school year, but the act itself states that an employer has to save (or offer an equivalent to) the employee's job after 12 weeks of medical leave.   


     

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