Legal Question in Medical Leave in Illinois

No, but you need to think about the message this sends about your company. The employer does not need to pay the employee during the leave period.

The FMLA applies to employers with 50 or more employees in a 75 mile radius (important whne employers operate mutli-sites). As a threshold issue, in order to be eligible for FMLA leave an employee must have worked 12 months and 1250 hours. Some employers allow employees to take unpaid leave even if the employee does not qualify for FMLA. If you choose to do this, you must be careful to create a policy so leaves are approved in a afir and consistent manner. For example, if you allow this employee unpaid leave for being a donor, you cannot then deny a pregnant employee unpaid leave when she needs it for a medical condition/or procedure. In any event, good luck.