Enrichment · Life Skills

Every form
before the leave.

A leave from work comes with a stack of paperwork from three or four places at once: HR’s notices, a doctor’s certification, a state program, a disability claim, the health plan. Put the leave in one record, check the three federal eligibility tests, and see which form is due next and which weeks are unpaid.

Plan your leaveWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Life skills kit, $29 for 28 items.

Your leave plan

The worked example is made up: a parent planning 14 weeks after a birth, not sure about one eligibility test, with a medical certification due in nine days. Saved on this device only.

Loading the leave form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Enrichment · Life Skills$5

What you finish with
A record per leave with its reason, start date, length and notice date; the three FMLA eligibility tests; ten paperwork steps from written notice to the return date; weeks paid from time off, paid leave and disability; every deadline. Flags an eligibility test that is no or not sure, short notice, weeks beyond the 12 the law protects, unpaid weeks without a plan and deadlines inside 14 days.
Who it is for
Expecting and adoptive parents, people facing surgery or treatment, and anyone taking time off to care for a family member. Useful to a partner or relative helping with the forms.
Format
Browser organizer with a saved record per leave. Prints the record, a summary of every leave or a blank copy; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Life skills kit ($29) and the Enrichment Suite pass ($119), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Life Skills space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Add the leave: what it is for, the first day and how many weeks.
  2. Answer the three eligibility tests. Ask HR when you are not sure.
  3. Mark each paperwork step as you go and copy in every date you are given.
  4. Count the weeks each pay source covers; plan for the rest.
  5. Print it for HR meetings and for whoever covers at home.

Plan your leave

What the federal law covers

Three tests, then up to 12 protected weeks12months withthis employernot always in a row1,250hours inthe last 12 monthsabout 24 a week50employees within75 milesof your worksite12workweeksjob-protectedunpaid by lawHealth coverage continues on the same terms. Pay comes from paid time off, a stateprogram or a disability policy.Three tests, then 12 weeks12months with this employernot always in a row1,250hours in the last 12 monthsabout 24 a week50employees within 75 milesof your worksite12workweeks, job-protectedunpaid by law
The federal floor. Your state or employer may offer more, and paid leave comes from other programs.

Job protection is not pay

The Family and Medical Leave Act protects your job and your group health coverage for up to 12 workweeks in a 12-month period. It does not pay you. Pay during leave comes from paid time off, a state paid family or medical leave program where one exists, an employer policy or a short-term disability plan.

Bonding leave has a clock

Leave to bond with a newborn or a newly placed child has to be finished within 12 months of the birth or placement. Both parents can take it; if they work for the same employer, the employer may limit them to 12 weeks combined for bonding.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. Fact Sheet #28: The Family and Medical Leave Act (dol.gov).
  2. U.S. Department of Labor. FMLA forms WH-380-E, WH-380-F, WH-381 and WH-382 (dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla/forms).
  3. U.S. Department of Labor. The Employee’s Guide to the Family and Medical Leave Act (dol.gov).
  4. U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration. Special enrollment rights after a birth or adoption (dol.gov/ebsa).

The worked example is made up. This page explains the federal FMLA in general terms; it is not legal advice. State laws and employer policies can give more leave or pay, and your HR office and your state’s agency are the final word on your case. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.