Parental Leave Policies

When adopting a child, what many soon-to-be parents are concerned with is maternity or paternity leave. Of course, parents want to have some time off when their child first arrives, not only for practical reasons, but also so they can bond with the child. There are many questions which plague new parents of adoptive kids. Is there any legislation about this? How long can you stay home? The good news is that most employers do recognize adoption maternity or paternity leave, just as they would for a pregnant mother or expectant father. The Family and Medical Leave act which was passed in 1993 makes it a federal law that ensures the opportunity to enjoy your first weeks with your new family member rather than work full time. It covers adoptive families, so you can definitely have some unpaid leave. The FMLA allows you to take up to twelve weeks leave, and even though the leave isn't paid, you can still keep benefits and your job so you won't be in jeopardy.

This is what the legislation is like on a federal level. But, depending on which state you, make sure you obtain the right information. For example, California has the Paid Family Leave (PFL) which is separate from the FMLA, and states that you can receive up to 6 weeks of paid leave if you have suffered a wage loss when taking time off to care for your child. Rules and regulations wildly vary from state to state, so make sure you look into the relevant information which is relevant to your particular situation and state.