FMLA and the National Defense Authorization Act

On January 28, 2008, President Bush signed into law H.R. 4986, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Pub. L. 110-181. Among other things, section 585 of the NDAA expands the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) to permit a “spouse, 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.”