McCaskill-Backed Legislation Provides Grieving Parents with Work Leave

As the nation marks the 20^th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill this week joined in the introduction of legislation that would prevent parents who have lost a child from having to choose between taking time off work and losing their jobs.

“After the unimaginable death of a child, many families are faced with the reality that they must return to work or risk losing their jobs,” McCaskill said. “This bill provides them with some compassion and some commonsense flexibility.”

The Parental Bereavement Act, introduced by Senator Jon Tester of Montana, would amend the FMLA to include “death of a child” as a trigger event to provide the benefits under the FMLA. Under current law, parents are entitled to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave in order to care for a child battling a serious health problem, but that benefit does not extend to parents who have suddenly and tragically lost a child.

The bill would not impact small businesses with fewer than 50 employees and is supported by 18 national organizations, including Gold Star Mothers and Fathers, Blue Star Families, MarineParents, the Grieving Dads Project, the Parents of Murdered Children (POMC), and the American Academy of Grief Counseling.