New Family And Medical Leave Guidance For Military Families Released

Changes Allow Military Family Members to Attend Red Cross Sponsored Activities and Events

WASHINGTON, Monday, November 17, 2008 — Under new guidance released by the Department of Labor, military families will now be able to use the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to attend briefings and events sponsored by the American Red Cross. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 amended the FMLA to allow eligible employees the right to twelve weeks of FMLA leave for a “qualifying exigency” that arises when a National Guard or Reserve family member is on active duty or is notified of an impending call to active duty in support of a military operation. 

Among other circumstances defined in the regulation, the DOL guidance released today allows these family members to attend military events and related activities including family support or assistance programs and informational briefings sponsored or promoted by the American Red Cross. This new change will allow the spouse, child or parent of a service member more opportunities to take advantage of a wide variety of Red Cross services.

“The deployment of a National Guard or Reserve member can be a very trying time for families and the American Red Cross is there to help them cope with deployment separations and special needs resulting from military service,” said Sherri L. Brown, Senior Vice President, Service to the Armed Forces. “We are pleased that the Department of Labor recognizes the Red Cross dedication to supporting our servicemen and women and their families.”

New FMLA Guidance Released

The American Red Cross has a long history of providing service to members of America's military and their families. The Red Cross understands the special needs of military families, such as the emotional stress and strain of worrying about a deployed family member or not knowing where to turn for information or emergency assistance.

In this tradition, the Red Cross recently released a new course, Coping with Deployments: Psychological First Aid for Military Families. The course addresses the stress and strain of deployments on military family members and provides information on resiliency strategies for adults and children. Military families will now be able to use FMLA leave to attend this course as well as many other Red Cross programs.

For more information on American Red Cross support for military members and their families, please visit www.RedCross.org.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; provides nearly half of the nation's blood supply; teaches lifesaving skills; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization - not a government agency - and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at www.redcrosschat.org.