I live in California. I just got a word from my mother that my father is in a hospital. It is necessary for me to fly to Finland (home country) to arrange their living situation etc. upon his discharge.
The problem is that my husband will have to stay home and care for our children for the period that I am gone. I know that in general, the illness of your in-laws do not qualify for FMLA, but what do you do when the primary care giver has to go and take care of his/hers parents? :confused:

Information about California's Paid Family Leave Program may be found at the following website: http://www.jacksonlewis.com/legalupdates/article.cfm?aid=624 Note that this new law does not guarantee reemployment by your employer. You may wish to look into whether you qualify for the federal or the state leave program. Information about the two leave programs may be found at: http://www.dol.gov/esa/programs/whd/state/fmla/ca.htm Caring for a seriously ill parent qualifies as a reason for the leave. The question is whether the other qualifications will apply.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Thank you for the links. I found out that I am able to apply for PFL for myself, but yet the question remains: Does my husband qualify for anything under any plan? PFL is out, he works for the State and does not contribute to SDI. Since he provides 80% of our income it is quite important that he can take leave with pay. He has plenty of sick time to cover my absence, but he will have to qualify to use it. FMLA states that the illness of your in-laws is not covered, and the children are not sick, just need someone to take care of their everyday needs.

Perhaps you can pay someone to help with the kids while you are out, using the PPL to pay him/her. I suggest that because I'm not aware of any other paid leave program for your husband. (Has he checked with his employer?)

Let me know if you have any other questions.