Arkansas FMLA Requirements

State Leave Requirements in Arkansas

Only full-time employees in "state service" qualify under the provisions of the Arkansas Uniform Attendance and Leave Policy Act, excluding:

• Elected constitutional officers and their employees.
• The General Assembly and its employees.
• The state Highway and Transportation Department.
• Most members of the courts.
• Certain employees of state-supported institutions of higher learning.

Sick Leave

Arkansas grants sick and maternity leave to state employees. State employees only qualify for sick leave if a sickness or illness inhibits then from performing their job, or if they have optical, medical or dental treatment.

Sick leave may also be used for bereavement due to the death or serious illness of an immediate family member. An immediate family member is defined as a:

• Parent.
• Sibling.
• Spouse.
• Child.
• In-laws.
• Any individual acting as a parent of guardian to the employee.

Sick leave should be applied for in advance if possible. If the employee uses more than four consecutive sick days, he/she must obtain a certificate from their doctor disclosing the need for sick leave. Any absences due to sick leave must be charged against accrued sick leave, earned annual leave, catastrophic leave and leave without pay, in that order, and an employee must use all of their accrued sick days before taking leave without pay for an illness.

Maternity leave:

Maternity leave works similar to sick or disability leave, with the exception that employees do not have to use any/all accrued sick or annual leave days, though they may if they wish. If all paid leave is exhausted, leave without pay may be used.

Leave Without Pay:

State employees may request and be granted up to six months of leave without pay by their agency director, with the option of applying for another six months of leave after the first six transpire. Leave with pay may be denied by the agency director if the employee's leave would cause hardship to the agency.

The employee must have exhausted all of their sick leave before being able to take leave without pay under the Arkansas Uniform Attendance and Leave Policy Act.