[chrisy]

Hi Ginny,

Sorry you are dealing with this. Sometimes I forget how blessed I was/am to have an employer who truly does support me.

I see you are in California, so it would seem you have some options. There is State Disability and paid family leave - both of which are funded through payroll taxes. You probably have some legal protections, you need to find out what they are.

I'm not sure what your exact employment situation is, nor am I a labor attorney so you should probably just take this as "questions to ask"

There are 2 categories of information you need. The first is, what are your legal rights, and what is your employer required to do.

The second is, what is your employer willing to do to accomodate your needs given that this is a temporary situation. I live on both sides of this relationship and the reality is your employer may be sincere in WANTING to support you - but the reality is it is not easy. For you or them. But it can be worked out if both parties have the will.

Does your company have an HR department you could speak to about what the company policy is and what you would qualify for? How do they handle, say, a pregnancy leave?

For my company which is a small employer (and for me as a manager) it's important to have as much consistency as possible. If someone needs to take a month or 2 off, then I know I may need to bring in temp help. If someone needs to take every monday off for treatment, at least I know what to expect and can work around it. Assuming you want to continue with this employer (which might depend on how they treat you!), find out what they need and what reasonable accomodations they can make.

I know this may not be that helpful, just wanted you to know you are not alone.