By msnbc.com staff and news services
The Obama administration has proposed new rules to help military families care for service members when they are called to active duty or become injured.
First lady Michelle Obama and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis announced the plan, an update to the Family and Medical Leave Act, on Monday. (Video of the announcement is available here.)
"Many service members come home stressed, ill or injured," Solis said. "They need attention, care and support from the people that love them the most. And we've got an obligation to help them make that possible."
The act, first passed in 1993 and revised several times since then, entitles workers at covered companies to take unpaid leave for specified family and medical reasons without fear of losing their job.
The new proposal would amend the act to let family members take up to 12 weeks of leave from work to help a service member deployed on short notice. Family caregivers could attend military functions, deal with child care issues, or update financial affairs.
It would also give family members up to 26 weeks of leave to care for a service member with a serious injury or illness.
The proposal would also extend the leave act?for family members of veterans for up to five years after leaving the military. Currently, the law only covers family members of service members on active duty.
Here is the full text of the proposed changes to the Family and Medical Leave Act.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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