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Do I have to take all of my leave at one time under the Family Medical Leave Act?

No. If the illness requires occasional rather than constant care, you may try to arrange a schedule with your employer that gives you the time off you need, but does not hurt the company's business. For example, if your mother does not need constant care but needs you to go with her once a month for her planned treatments, you can take time off from work intermittently to bring your mother to treatment.

Wages while on leave under the FMLA

Generally, in labor laws and fmla, you have no right to be paid while on leave. However, you can get paid during your FMLA leave if you have sick time or vacation time available. You employer doesn't have to let you use vacation or sick time, but he can require you to use it all up while on leave (unless you take leave for pregnancy or childbirth).

Health benefits while on leave

According to labor laws, if you receive health benefits in your job (including dental or vision care benefits), your employer must continue paying for these benefits while you are on FMLA leave.

If you do not return to work after your leave - or if you come back to work for less than thirty days after your leave - your employer can probably require you to pay for the costs of the medical insurance premiums he paid for you while you were on leave (unless you couldn't come back for reasons beyond your control, such as illness).

Returning from leave under the Family Medical Leave Act

When you come back from leave, labor laws state that you have the right to return to the same or similar job you had before you left - a job with equivalent salary, benefits, and working conditions, such as shift schedule or commute. The duties of the "similar job" probably do not have to be identical to the duties of the previous job, however. Your employer does not have to give you your job back if your old position was eliminated while you are on leave. If your employer has merely moved someone into your job while you were away, your job was not "eliminated" and you should expect to return to that job after your leave. If you have questions about FMLA, consult a labor lawyer in your area.