Fact Sheet on Extended Time Off (EXTO)

The Need for Extended Time Off (EXTO): New children: More women and mothers are working, and there is an increase in the number of couples with children in which both parents work. Health issues: According to a 2000 survey of employees regarding the Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA), among those who took FMLA leave, more than half, 52.4%, of workers used the leave to attend to their own health conditions. Thirteen percent reported taking leave to care for a parent and nearly 12% reported using leave to care for an ill child. The need for paid EXTO: Despite the availability of unpaid EXTO to those employees who are eligible under the FMLA, many workers do not use the benefit because of a lack of sufficient wage replacement during the leave