Is it legal to be fired while on maternity leave?

Question

I let them know that I would like my maternity leave extended and they asked me to get paperwork filled out by my doctor and sent in. I asked my doctor to send in my paperwork but the company fired me anyway!

Answer

If you don't qualify for fmla or your fmla ran out,  then yes they can fire you.

Answer

What did they say they were firing you for?  You do need to have the paperwork filled out in advance, you can’t just not show back up when you are suppose to.  They can’t fire you due to FMLA if you have applied.

Answer

Did your work get the paperwork from your doctor? Or did they fire you before they got the paperwork?

Answer

After your FMLA runs out, it’s up to them whether or not they decide to approve additional personal leave. If you live in an “at-will” state, they can fire you at any time for anything.

Answer

Okay thank you all!! I’ll be calling them to see what their official reasoning was, if they received the paperwork, and what they’ll tell future employers I was fired for.

Answer

That’s awful! I know in CA fmla laws protecting your job only apply if your work has more than 50 employees - not sure how many employees at your work. Either way, that’s shitty of them ☹️

Answer

If you work in an “at-will” state it’s pretty easy for them to fire you. They can say any reason not related to your pregnancy/maternity status and it will likely hold up.

Is it legal to be fired while on maternity leave?

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