Effective March 27, 2015, for purposes of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the term “spouse” is defined to mean “the other person with whom an individual entered into marriage as defined or recognized under state law for purposes of marriage in the State in which the marriage was entered into ….”
Since Connecticut recognizes same sex marriage, the change in the FMLA definition has important implications for Connecticut employers. To the extent the FMLA provision of your Employee Handbook provides a definition of “spouse” that is contrary to the new definition, it will be necessary to amend the policy to reflect the change.
If you would like assistance in preparing an FMLA policy or reviewing and/or updating a current policy, feel free to contact the EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES GROUP.