The California Pregnancy Disability Leave LawDuring pregnancy body of a woman goes through lots of changes in many different ways. Some of these changes are very obvious like a growing belly however other changes such as nausea and fatigue are not so obvious. All such changes are normal to healthy pregnancy but some times become a disability at the work place. To help pregnant working women with these problems the state of California has a pregnancy disability leave law. This pregnancy disability leave law is designed to protect women who are disabled during pregnancy. The law makes sure that the employers treat the pregnant female employees in the same way as they treat their other employees with a temporary medical disability. This helps the women to be safe from any discrimination in the place of employment. The pregnancy disability leave law allows the pregnant working to take up to 16 weeks of leave for pregnancy related disability. They are also allowed to take the leave in case of any disability caused by childbirth, or any other related medical problem. One example of a disability covered under the law is severe morning sickness. Under this law, a pregnant woman is considered disabled if she is not able to perform her job functions due to pregnancy. The woman is also considered disabled if her performance at work is affected by a health condition related to her pregnancy. The pregnant employee has to obtain a proper medical verification from her doctor. Also the law states that during the period of her disability, the employee may also use any accrued leave that is given to the temporarily disabled employees by her employer. Usually the employer maintains an employee's health coverage for a period that lasts up to 12 weeks per year under Family and Medical Leave Act. However once the pregnancy disability leave is over, the pregnant employee can request for an additional 12 weeks of unpaid leave to take care of her child. However the employee has to be then eligible under the California Family Rights Act. The pregnancy disability leave law enforced in California is different from other civil acts like the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The fact is that most of the employers in the state of California are covered under Pregnancy Disability Leave Law. This means that even if an employer does not provide any FMLA or CFRA coverage the pregnant woman can still get a pregnancy related disability leave under this law. The pregnancy disability leave law can prove to be a real help. It is especially true if the employer is not ready to grant the leave under the FMLA and CFRA. |