National Defense Authorization Act
On January 28, 2008, President Bush signed into law H.R. 4986, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Section 585 of the NDAA amends the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) to permit a “spouse/domestic partner, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin” to take up to 26 workweeks of leave to care for a “member of the Armed Forces, including a member of the National Guard or Reserves, who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy, is otherwise in outpatient status, or is otherwise on the temporary disability retired list, for a serious injury or illness.”
The NDAA also permits an employee to take FMLA leave for “any qualifying exigency (as the Secretary [of Labor] shall, by regulation, determine) arising out of the fact that the spouse/domestic partner, or a son, daughter, or parent of the employee is on active duty (or has been notified of an impending call or order to active duty) in the Armed Forces in support of a contingency operation.”
You can read more about the National Defense Authorization Act by visiting the US Department of Labor website and typing “NDAA” in the Search Box.