The Essential Guide to Family & Medical Leave

appendix A | state laws and departments of labor | 331
Tennessee
Family and Medical Leave Law (Tenn. Code § 4-21-408)
Covered Employers: Employers with at least 100 full-time employees at the
job-site or location where the employee works.
Eligible Employees: Employees who have worked full-time for at least 12
months.
Types of Leave: For pregnancy, childbirth, nursing an infant, and adoption.
Amount of Leave: Up to four months.
Procedural Requirements
• Notice: Employee must give at least three months’ notice to be entitled to
reinstatement; employee who cannot give three months’ notice because
of a medical emergency or change in the placement date shall not be
denied reinstatement.
• Benefits: Employer need not pay to continue health benefits, unless it
does so for employees on other types of leave.
Reinstatement: Reinstatement is not required in either of the following cases:
• The employee’s job is so unique that the employer could not obtain a
temporary replacement.
• The employee worked for another employer during leave.
The employer must notify the employee if it denies reinstatement for one
of these reasons.