February 2026 Iowa Q&A roundup

Q           An employee is requesting to use Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave to care for her brother, who’s in the hospital in critical care. He isn’t a service member, and she’s neither his caregiver nor in loco parentis. Does she qualify for FMLA leave?

The FMLA provides that employees may take leave for their own healthcare needs or those of their spouse, children, or parents. But there are a number of limitations; the FMLA doesn’t provide for leave for siblings, in-laws, stepparents (in many instances), or other extended family members. 

As noted, there are some exceptions, such as when a family member serves as a parent for a significant portion of the employee’s life (in loco parentis) or when an adult child has ongoing health issues and needs assistance with activities of daily living. FMLA leave isn’t provided for the purposes of babysitting or similar items.

Q           If employees are salaried and are terminated in the middle of a pay period, are those employees entitled to their full pay for that month?