FMLA in Iowa has been affected by the June 26, 2013 Supreme Court ruling that struck down the Defense of Marriage Act’s (DOMA) definition of marriage being exclusively between a man and a woman. As long as any legally (per Iowa state requirements) married couple live and were married in the state, then the ruling requires that they be treated the same as any other married couple. Iowa recognizes same-sex marriage and therefore any legally married couple in Iowa has the right to utilize available FMLA leave for the care of a spouse with a qualifying health condition. These changes to FMLA in Iowa will have no effect on domestic partnerships.

FMLA in Iowa is supplemented by the Iowa Civil Rights Act (ICRA) of 1965. The ICRA requires no minimum amount of accumulated working hours to qualify and the employer only needs to have four employees in order to be “covered” by the requirement. The Act only provides for and applies to pregnant employees, however. Like any legislation that appears to overlap federal FMLA, the best rule of thumb is to apply each law completely and separately. Most problems occur when employers try to mix and match. But compliance with FMLA in Iowa doesn’t need to be difficult or confusing.

Compliance with FMLA in Iowa, as well as absence management and administration has been made simple by Qcera’s cloud-based, LeaveSource software product line. LeaveSource software organizes, prompts, reminds, records, and keeps your administrative personnel on top of and in compliance with all federal, state and even company-specific policies. Serving covered employers of any size, since 2000, Qcera has become the industry leader in FMLA compliant software and service. FMLA in Iowa doesn’t have to be a four-letter word.

FMLA in Iowa has become a serious business concern as fines for non-compliant employers continue to increase in size and numbers. And the $80,000 expense, recently released as the cost of an average FMLA lawsuit defense, has made the well-organized, user-friendly, and well-documented LeaveSource™ product line a cost-effective option in the struggle for compliance with FMLA in Iowa. Click on the red button above to request a demonstration of  LeaveSource™ software, or visit their website at www.LeaveSource.com.