Serious health condition
The federal family leave law's definition of the illness that entitles an eligible employee to take protected leave.
What it means
The federal Family and Medical Leave Act uses this term to define when leave may be taken — for an employee's own condition or to care for a spouse, child or parent.
It broadly covers inpatient care and conditions involving continuing treatment by a health care provider, and it is wider than the phrase suggests.
Certification from a health care provider is normally required, and the employer may ask for it in a specified form.
Why it matters
Caring for a dying parent frequently qualifies, and employees frequently do not ask because they assume it does not.
The leave is job-protected, which matters more than whether it is paid: many state paid family leave programs use similar definitions but are separate entitlements.
When you are likely to meet it
- When taking time off to care for a parent.
- When an employer asks for medical certification.
- When a state paid leave program asks about eligibility.
How this varies by state
State paid family leave programs are separate from the federal job protection, and which states have one, who is covered, and how long it lasts are set by state law.
Related terms
Official sources
The authority this page describes, at the agency that publishes it. Sahvelo does not restate a rule from a secondary source.