Legal Question in Medical Leave in New Jersey

The Family and Medical Leave Act is a federal law, not a state law. Your rights remain the same regardless of the state in which you work. You request FMLA leave from your employer, who is obligated to give you the (unpaid) leave for certain defined reasons if you meet the threshod number of hours worked in the previous 12 months. However, if you are refering to New Jersey's Family Leave Insurance law, which went into effect last month, your coverage is determined by your place of employment. If your employer pays into the New Jersey Unemployment Compensation Fund, you are likely eligible for the insurance plan. You can find out more information by going to the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development home page and following the link to the pages that describe the program. Pennsylvania may have a similar insurance program and your employer can give you information about it.