What is a key requirement for an employee to qualify for FMLA leave?

To qualify for Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave, one of the fundamental requirements is that the employee must work for a company with 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius. This stipulation ensures that the protections and benefits of FMLA are available to employees of larger businesses that have the capacity to absorb the potential impact of an employee taking leave. This threshold is designed to balance the need for employee rights with the operational needs of different sized employers.

In addition to the size of the employer, other criteria pertaining to eligibility include that the employee must have worked for the employer for at least 12 months and logged at least 1,250 hours of work during the previous 12 months. This framework establishes a foundation for employer compliance and employee entitlements under FMLA, which aims to support employees during significant personal and family health events without jeopardizing their job security.