Is Travel Time to and from a Medical Appointment Covered by the FMLA?
Your employee, Thelma, has requested FMLA leave to take her mom, Louise, to regular doctor appointments. Though the appointment itself will take one hour, Thelma wants to schedule it in the middle of the workday and for a total of five hours. The travel, she says, takes “quite a bit of time . . . and it’s none of your business.” Beginning 2026 a little salty, we see? Naturally, you’re frustrated, since you sense that Thelma purposefully encouraged that appointment for midday, and in any event, there’s no way this doc is two hours each way! The medical appointment itself clearly is covered by FMLA. But is travel time associated with the medical appointment covered as well? In an opinion letter issued this week , the Department of Labor answered the question: . . . when an eligible employee travels to or from a health care provider for a medical appointment regarding the employee’s [or family member’s] serious health condition, he or she may take FMLA leave not only for ...