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By SAM HANANEL
WASHINGTON
The Obama administration proposed new rules Monday to help military families care for service members when they are called to active duty or become injured.
The proposal expands eligibility under the Family and Medical Leave Act, which allows employees to take unpaid leave for certain medical or family emergencies.
First lady Michelle Obama joined Labor Secretary Hilda Solis to announce the plan, which would let caregivers take leave to help family members up to five years after they leave the military. Current law does not cover service members who have left the armed forces.
"We want to recognize the extraordinary dedication, sacrifice and service of our nation's caregivers, not simply with words but with deeds," Obama said during a Labor Department ceremony attended by dozens of military members and their families.
The rules also would expand leave to cover families of those in the regular armed forces, not just families of National Guard members and reservists.
The proposal would allow spouses, children or parents take up to 12 weeks of leave from work to help a service member deployed on short notice. Family caregivers could attend military functions, deal with child care issues, or make financial and legal arrangements without fear of losing their jobs.
"Many service members come home stressed, ill and injured," Solis said. "They need attention, care and support from the people that love them most."
Family members also would get up to 26 weeks of leave to care for recent veterans who were injured or became ill in the line of duty. That includes conditions that don't arise until after a veteran has left military service.
The plan expands from five days to 15 days the amount of time an employee can take off work to spend with a service member who is on leave to rest or recuperate.
Labor officials will consider comments for the next 60 days before considering whether to make the proposed rules final.
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The headline should read
The grifter in chief and his uppity wife pull out all the stops in attempt to collect votes. This is nothing more than Obama trying to get votes. He will stop at nothing. Our grifter in chief should try to fix the economy, do what he can to allow business to perform efficiently and earn some profit, reduce legislation that cost business money, dump Obamacare. I get a laugh every time I hear how much they care about the military. Tell the 150,000 + members who will be collecting 99 weeks of unemployment insurance how much you care about them. Tell the 1,000,000 + military members how much you care for them, trying to maintain worn out equipment and outdated technology you left them with when you instituted your budget cuts. Jan. 13 hurry up
stop putting words in my mouth I didn't say
I don't hate the POTUS, I just feel like I feel because it is a burden & I put those thoughts to paper. I'd say you love the guy & will do or say whatever you can to defend him. TIT-4-TAT. So stop trying to put words in my mouth that never were there. Maybe when you get past your high school type crush you have w/him maybe, just maybe you'll be able to see both sides of the issue, but probably not. DX it.
Good idea
The 26 weeks to help a returning injured family member is a great idea. BZ to who ever came up with the idea, and to the administration for making it happen.
The 12 weeks prior to "short notice" deployment is a little much. Heck, 3 months notice is pretty good, or was when my husband and I were still active duty. And, military families should always have their affairs in order, because, in reality, you never know when you'll have to go. But a nice gesture to try to get a few more votes.
Wonder how that will work with dual military families? Will the non-deploying military spouse get 12/26 weeks outside their normal 30? I know the military doesn't fall under Labor Dept rules, but gee, if they don't, that doesn't seem fair!
obama is pandering
Though I support the members anf families 100% in most everything, I'm not gonna step off the proverbial cliff blindly for them. 12 weeks is way over the top of reason and appears to be a big peice of candy to entice the young military members to vote his way. Military like any other civilian profession demands only one thing...just pay me baby! No pansy programms like this. Keep the reasonable pay increases coming. Don;t cut them to pay for long failed social experiments or the bloated ediucation and EPA programs.
Geez
all it does is extend the current law, signed by George HW Bush, to military family members. There is an out for businesses whom the leave might affect adversely. So in the end it seems to benefit everyone. Of course, a good law should be rejected because someone you hate suggested it. That is the apex of partisanship.
with or w/out pay
Having to pay a person for 26 weeks w/out getting production from that person is a large burden to place on business. 26 weeks W/out pay wouldn't hurt as bad, but to lose an employee for 26 weeks can also be quit a burden. I see this as just more pandering to the military for their votes next Nov.. Score another round for our Panderer & chief.
It's not paid leave!
It is unpaid time off, it simply ensures that you still have a job when you get back. I'm sorry about your "burden" of having a missing employee, I'm sure they would much rather be at work than caring for their family member maimed in battle serving their country! This seems like a pretty non-partisan gesture of gratitude to those who sacrifice so much to support those who serve. If the President didn't sign it, you'd say he hates the military, which I'm sure you've said over and over during the past 3 years. Since he did sign it, he's now a "panderer" in your book. Do you see that your hate for the guy is so overwhelming that you disagree with him no matter what he does?