Can I be fired for missing work because a family member is sick?
The Family and Medical Leave Act protects employees from being fired for caring for a seriously ill family member. If you’re covered by the FMLA, if your employer has over 50 employees, and if you’ve worked for that employer for more than 12 months, you’re probably covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act, and it would be illegal for your employer to fire you for caring for a seriously ill family member.
The family member generally has to be an immediate family member, a child, a spouse, or a parent. If that family member has a serious health condition, and you’re required to help care for them, to take them to the doctor, to watch over them at home, that sort of thing, then you should be entitled to leave under the FMLA to protect your family member’s health.
