Legal Question in Employment Law in California
Time off for counseling for child
My sister started a job a few months ago. She has recently found out that her son will need to go to counselling for a mental health condition. He may need to attend weekly sessions, and she may need to attend as well.
Her employer hassles her every time if she asks for time off for medical appointments. She wishes to utilize her sick time for these 1 - 2 hour counselling sessions. Can her employer prevent her from taking the time off? Would any of this fall under the CMLA?
Please advise.
Thank you.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Time off for counseling for child
If your sister has not been employed with this company for at least one year, she is not eligible for FMLA. However, there is a law that may allow her to take up to one-half the allotted annual sick time she receives for medical reasons related to her son. She should probably discuss this with an experienced employment law attorney to see if she qualifies and, if so, how she should handle the situation.