Family and Medical Leave Act History: When FMLA Started, Why It Was Created, and What Employers Must Do Today

If you’re searching for family and medical leave act history—including when did FMLA start, when was FMLA passed, and why was the Family Medical Leave Act created—the answer centers on one landmark moment: the Medical Leave Act of 1993 (commonly referred to as the FMLA) was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in early 1993 and created a nationwide baseline for job-protected, unpaid leave.

This SwiftSDS guide explains the key milestones in FMLA history, what the original law required, and the compliance steps HR teams and business owners still need to follow today.

What is the FMLA (and what did it change)?

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a federal law that provides eligible employees of covered employers up to 12 workweeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period for certain family and medical reasons, while maintaining group health benefits under the same terms as if the employee had continued working.

FMLA matters because it standardized job-protected leave across the U.S. before many states had comprehensive leave protections—helping employees handle serious health conditions, childbirth/adoption, and caregiving without losing their job.

For broader context on how federal workplace protections fit together, see SwiftSDS’s overview of 5 rights of workers.

When did FMLA start? Key dates in FMLA history

HR teams often ask: when did FMLA begin, when was FMLA enacted, and when did the Family Medical Leave Act start? Here are the milestones that answer those questions.

When was FMLA passed and enacted?

• Congress passed the Family and Medical Leave Act in 1993.
• President Bill Clinton signed the FMLA into law on February 5, 1993—often referenced as the FMLA legislation that President Clinton signed in 1993.

This is why you’ll also see it described as the Medical Leave Act of 1993 in many summaries and searches.

When did FMLA begin (effective date)?

After enactment, the law became operational later in 1993 (employers began implementing the new leave rules during that year). In practice, “when did FMLA start” usually refers to the February 1993 signing plus the rollout period that followed.

Who administers and enforces FMLA?

FMLA is enforced by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Wage and Hour Division (WHD), and implemented through federal regulations at 29 CFR Part 825. These rules cover eligibility, notices, certification, intermittent leave, and reinstatement requirements.

Why was the Family Medical Leave Act created?

Understanding why the Family Medical Leave Act was created helps HR leaders explain the “why” behind the compliance steps.

Congress’s central goals included:

• Balancing workplace demands with family and medical needs
• Promoting economic security for families by reducing job loss tied to caregiving or medical events
• Supporting workplace stability and predictability via standardized rules and documentation
• Advancing equal employment opportunity, especially for women, who historically faced disproportionate career impact from pregnancy and caregiving responsibilities

FMLA also aligns with broader federal civil rights and workplace fairness objectives. If you’re building internal training around these themes, SwiftSDS’s EEO explainer—as it pertains to employment opportunity the eeo strives to—pairs well with FMLA education.

Core compliance requirements that came from the 1993 law (and still apply)

Even though this is a history-focused page, HR professionals usually need actionable compliance takeaways. Here are the foundational requirements that flowed from the original FMLA framework and remain central today.

Covered employers and eligible employees (baseline rules)

Generally:

• Covered employers include private employers with 50 or more employees in 20 or more workweeks in the current or preceding calendar year, plus most public agencies and schools.
• Eligible employees generally must have worked for the employer for 12 months, have 1,250 hours of service in the prior 12 months, and work at a location where the employer has 50 employees within 75 miles.

Qualifying reasons for leave

FMLA leave may be used for:

• Birth of a child and bonding
• Placement of a child for adoption or foster care and bonding
• Caring for a spouse, child, or parent with a serious health condition
• The employee’s own serious health condition
• Certain military family reasons (added later via amendments), such as qualifying exigency and military caregiver leave

Notice, documentation, and recordkeeping expectations

Actionable steps for HR:

1. Create a written FMLA policy that defines eligibility, the 12-month measurement method, call-in rules, and benefits continuation.
2. Use required notices (eligibility notice, rights & responsibilities, and designation notice) and track deadlines.
3. Implement a consistent medical certification process and recertification schedule consistent with 29 CFR Part 825.
4. Train managers to recognize leave triggers and route requests to HR promptly.
5. Maintain FMLA records (hours, notices, certifications, designations) in confidential files separate from personnel files.

Because leave administration often intersects with disability accommodations, it’s also smart to coordinate FMLA workflows with ADA processes. SwiftSDS resources like ada hr and ada forms for employers can help standardize forms and handoffs between HR and supervisors.

Posting and broader labor law notice compliance

FMLA has a federal posting requirement (the DOL FMLA poster). Employers should also ensure they are current on other federally required postings. For example, most employers must display the WHD minimum wage notice, Employee Rights Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, and applicable variations (agriculture or state/local government versions).

How FMLA history connects to modern leave administration challenges

While the original medical leave act of 1993 created the baseline, today’s complexity often comes from (1) expansions and updates over time and (2) state and local laws that add requirements.

Intermittent leave and reduced schedules

FMLA can be taken continuously or intermittently when medically necessary (or in some cases for bonding when the employer agrees). If you administer timekeeping and scheduling, SwiftSDS’s guide on Can you work part time on fmla is a practical next step.

Extensions and what happens after 12 weeks

A common compliance issue is how to handle employees who can’t return at the end of FMLA. Your next steps may involve ADA accommodation analysis, state leave benefits, or employer leave policies. See Can fmla be extended past 12 weeks for scenarios and options.

Contractor vs. employee status

Misclassification can create major compliance risk: independent contractors are generally not eligible for FMLA because they are not employees. If you’re unsure how to treat certain workers, review are contractors eligible for fmla.

State and local leave laws: where FMLA history is only the starting point

FMLA is federal, but many jurisdictions provide additional leave protections (sometimes paid, sometimes with different eligibility thresholds). Practical compliance tip: run FMLA in parallel with applicable state programs and always apply the law that provides the greater employee protection where rules overlap.

Examples to review based on your footprint:

• California: California family leave (important for comparing state rules to federal FMLA)
• Washington, DC: Dc fmla (DC has its own local leave framework)
• Connecticut: Ct fmla paperwork (paperwork and process differences matter)

Also note that some states have separate posting rules—for instance, Massachusetts has a parental leave notice requirement: Notice: Parental Leave in Massachusetts.

Practical compliance checklist (SwiftSDS quick actions)

• Confirm you are a covered employer (headcount and workweeks).
• Confirm employee eligibility (12 months, 1,250 hours, 50/75 rule).
• Choose and document your 12-month FMLA measurement method (calendar year, rolling forward, rolling backward, etc.).
• Standardize your notice + designation workflow and train managers.
• Align FMLA with ADA and state leave laws to prevent gaps and retaliation/interference claims.
• Audit your required workplace posters, including federal wage notices like the FLSA Employee Rights notice and any applicable state notices.

FAQ: Family and Medical Leave Act history

When was FMLA passed and when was FMLA enacted?

The FMLA was passed by Congress and signed into law (enacted) on February 5, 1993 by President Bill Clinton—often summarized as the medical leave act of 1993.

When did the FMLA begin?

Employers began implementing FMLA protections during 1993 following enactment. In most HR discussions, “when did FMLA start” refers to the February 1993 signing and subsequent rollout that year.

Why was the Family Medical Leave Act created?

It was created to establish a federal baseline of job-protected, unpaid leave so employees could address serious health conditions and family caregiving needs without losing employment, while also promoting equal employment opportunity and consistent national standards.

If you want, I can also create a one-page internal HR handout summarizing the key historical milestones plus a compliant FMLA process flow (request → notices → certification → designation → tracking → reinstatement).