Bereavement Leave Eligibility in Texas and FMLA Explained
In order to provide employee job security in the case of a bereavement leave, the FMLA or Family and Medical Leave Act have been enacted into the federal law. Under the FMLA employees can take an unpaid Bereavement Leave Texas from their job without having to worry about losing their position.
The FMLA is mandatory for public sector employers and for the private sector, it is only mandatory when the employer has 50 employees working within a 75-mile radius of the work site. For an employee himself to be eligible to apply for the Bereavement Leave Texas under FMLA, he is needed to have worked under his employer for at least a year and has had 1250 hours of work time within the last 12 months.
Most of the states in the United States do not have bereavement leave laws. Oregon is the only exception due to the Oregon Family Act and as such other states including Texas have no law which requires the employer to provide their employees with bereavement leave. It is entirely up to the discretion of the employer in how they wish to deal with an employee who has suffered a loss.
However, providing Bereavement Leave Texas benefits for employees is a popular approach taken by many organizations and businesses both large and small throughout the United States. Since it is up to the discretion of the employer the bereavement leave policies and eligibility can vary from organization to organization and employees are recommended to refer to the employee handbook or their contract if they wish to find out what their benefits actually cover.
The only bereavement leave that the state law covers is in the circumstance of a criminal activity under the Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 56. Rights of Crime Victims. According to this article, a resident of Texas can take a bereavement leave for no more than 10 days if an immediate family member falls victim to criminally injurious conduct within the state of Texas.
The immediate family members are defined as individuals who are within the second degree by infinity or consanguinity to the bereaved. In such a case the state will cover the funeral and burial expenses including, for an immediate family member of the household, the necessary expenses of travelling to and attending the funeral. The bereaved might also be provided with counselling services if required.
If the bereaved is eligible, he or she will be required to apply in writing on a form prescribed by the attorney general. The application must be verified and should contain the date, description, nature, and circumstances of the criminally injurious conduct.
=>You May Like To Read:- Maternity Leave Texas 2018
The application must contain a complete financial statement which states the cost of medical care, burial expenses and loss of wages due to the criminally injurious conduct. The applicant might also apply for additional support if the event has left him with a disability mental or physical. Other information that the attorney general requires will also have to be provided.
If the application is accepted the bereaved will be fully compensated for the expenses and losses they incurred however if the statement is proven to be false they can be charged with a fine up to $ 25000.
