Birthing people! You may be eligible for more job-guaranteed leave than you thought! Many people — including HR professionals — think the District of Columbia Family & Medical Leave Act (DCFMLA) provides 16 weeks of job-guaranteed leave. What they don’t realize is DCFMLA covers up to 16 weeks of medical leave AND up to 16 weeks of family leave during a 24-month period.
As a birthing parent, you are entitled to medical leave to recover from childbirth. Typically this is 6-8 weeks, depending on how you give birth. You are also entitled to 16 weeks of family leave to bond with your child following your medical leave.
Family leave can be taken intermittently as long as it is within the first 12 months after birth. After having my daughter via c-section, I took 8 weeks of medical leave, then a portion of my family leave. I went back to work for a few months while my husband took his paternity leave. Then I took the remainder of my family leave, just in time to enjoy what my friend calls “peak baby” — the age when they’re really happy, smiley, and fun, but not quite mobile yet!
Heads up on a few things…
This post is specific to job-guaranteed leave; DC Paid Family Leave is a separate topic. You can find more information about DC Paid Family Leave HERE.
Federal FMLA is 12 weeks and applies to all federal employees, including those living in DC. You can find more details on Federal Family Leave from OPM HERE.
DCFMLA applies to all DC-based employers, regardless of where the employee lives. If you live in VA or MD but work for a DC-based employer, you’re eligible for DCFMLA.
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