Leaves of absence can be granted for a variety of reasons—personal or family illness, pregnancy, military service, family military leave, and other personal reasons. Some employers have a single policy that covers many different types of leave; others have a policy statement on leaves of absence in general and separate policies for the various types of leave. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requires covered employers to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for a birth or adoption, to care for a close family member with a serious health condition, for an employee’s own serious health condition, and when a family member is called up to or on active military service. The FMLA also provides 26 weeks of unpaid leave in a single 12-month period for an employee caring for a family member recovering from an illness or injury suffered while on active military duty. Effective January 16, 2009, final FMLA regulations substantially change the way in which employers act to comply with the law. A number of additional federal laws must be taken into account when an employer is designing a leave policy or processing a leave request. In addition, many states have their own family leave, disability, workers’ compensation, and other laws that can affect the availability of leave and/or its terms. Leaves may also be regulated by a collective bargaining agreement.