There are times when expecting fathers need to spend quality time with their newborn baby yet they are not offered unpaid leave or paternity leave. The FMLA covers dads who need time off work during the birth or adoption of a child. One of the most common benefits they offer is 12 weeks of paternity leave. Unfortunately, many fathers don’t seek to protect their legal rights. Ask a Thousand Oaks paternity attorney about how you can request paternity leave.
Recent statistics and studies show that most dads want to play a greater role in their children’s lives. In other words, children are the top priority for them, therefore, requesting paternity leave is the natural thing to do. About 3 out of four dads want to spend quality time with their kids and 90% of them think paternity leave is necessary and their employers should offer it as part of their benefits package. Sadly, most fathers take only one day of leave when a new child is born and a very small percentage of them may take a week. One of the most common obstacles is a lack of paid leave and career goals. Also, sometimes moms have to stay home taking care of the baby so the father is the only person providing for the family.
You may qualify to take 12 weeks off work if you need to care for your pregnant wife, a sick child, or for the arrival of a new child. Just remember, although your health care coverage may continue, paternity leave is unpaid. In order to qualify for paternity leave under the FMLA, you must meet some requirements such as:
California became one of the first states to require employers to offer maternity leave and paternity leave to all their employees. The California’s Paid Family Leave Insurance program helps workers collect as much as 55% of their income while on paternity leave.
Paternity leave can be very beneficial for families throughout California. Studies prove that the children of fathers who take paternity leave are healthier. Also, moms whose husbands spend more time with the baby earn more and suffer less from depression. Dads who help in caring for children after birth have longer life expectancies. In other words, being a good parent is good for your physical and emotional health as well as finances.
If you are an expecting dad who wants to be involved at the birth of your new child, contact Thousand Oaks paternity attorney Stephanie L. Mahdavi and schedule your initial case review. As society evolves and respects the role of fathers in their children’s lives, we trust more dads can receive all the benefits of paid parental leave.
