Job Security for Living Organ Donation Guaranteed under Family and Medical Leave Act

U.S. Department of Labor issues new opinion letter

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Aug 28, 2018, 15:54 ET

NEW YORK, Aug. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- "Today the U.S. Department of Labor issued an opinion letter on living organ donation which protects the job security of living donors who are covered under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This important clarification ensures that eligible employees who seek to use time off to donate an organ to help save another life are entitled to unpaid, job-protected leave."

"One major concern for kidney patients seeking a living donor is that their donor will be allowed to take time off for donation and recovery without the fear of losing employment. Today's opinion letter is a major win for both kidney patients and organ donors alike and it is only possible thanks to the diligent efforts of Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) through her work on the House Appropriations Committee."

"On behalf of kidney patients and organ donors throughout the nation, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) applauds Representative Herrera Beutler for leading the way and removing one more barrier to living organ donation. NKF is proud to have aided Representative Herrera Beutler in helping to lay the groundwork on this provision, and we sincerely honor and thank her for championing this effort. We look forward to working with Representative Herrera Beutler, Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY) and their colleagues in Congress to support passage of the Living Donor Protection Act, which will provide additional important legal protections for living organ donors."

"Living organ donation not only saves lives, it saves money. Each year, Medicare spends $87,000 per dialysis patient and less than half, $32,500, for a transplant patient. Encouraging living organ donation by providing job protection for employees who become organ donors is a smart business decision and the right thing to do."

National Kidney Foundation Living Donation Resources

THE BIG ASK: THE BIG GIVE platform, which provides nationwide outreach, is designed to increase kidney transplantation through training and tools that help patients and families find a living donor. It includes direct patient and caregiver support through our toll-free help line 855-NKF-CARES, peer mentoring from a fellow kidney patient or a living donor, online communities, an advocacy campaign to remove barriers to donation, and a multi-media public awareness campaign. All of these resources are free and designed to teach kidney patients, or their advocates, how to make a "big ask" to their friends, loved ones, or community to consider making a "big give," a life-saving living organ donation. For more information visit www.kidney.org/livingdonation.

Kidney Disease Facts

In the United States 30 million adults are estimated to have chronic kidney disease—and most aren't aware of it. 1 in 3 American adults are at risk for chronic kidney disease. Risk factors for kidney disease include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and family history. People of African American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian or Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. African Americans are 3 times more likely than Whites, and Hispanics are nearly 1.5 times more likely than non-Hispanics to develop end stage renal disease (kidney failure).

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is the largest, most comprehensive and longstanding organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention and treatment of kidney disease. For more information about NKF visit www.kidney.org.

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SOURCE National Kidney Foundation