OAR 839-009-0380: OMFLA: Definitions

(1) “Active duty or call to active duty status” means duty under a call or order to active duty, or notification of an impending call or order to active duty, during a contingency operation, pursuant to Title 10 of the United States Code. “Contingency operation” means a military operation that: (a) Is designated by the Secretary of Defense as an operation in which members of the armed forces are or may become involved in military actions, operations, or hostilities against an enemy of the United States or against an opposing military force; or (b) Results in the call or order to, or retention on, active duty of members of the uniformed services under section 688, 12301(a), 12302, 12304, 12305, or 12406 of Title 10 of the United States Code, chapter 15 of Title 10 of the United States Code, or any other provision of law during a war or during a national emergency declared by the President or Congress. (See 10 U.S.C. §101(a)(13)) (2) “Covered employer” means: (a) The State of Oregon and a department, agency, board or commission of the State of Oregon; (b) A local government, including but not limited to a county, city, town, municipal corporation, independent public corporation or political subdivision of the State of Oregon; and (c) A person, firm, corporation, partnership, legal representative, or other business entity that engages in any business, industry, profession, or activity in the state of Oregon and that employs 25 or more individuals in the state of Oregon for each working day during each of 20 or more calendar workweeks in the year in which an eligible employee takes OMFLA leave or in the year immediately preceding the year in which an eligible employee takes OMFLA leave. (3) "Domestic partner" means an individual joined in a domestic partnership. (4) "Domestic partnership" for the purposes of ORS chapter 659A means two individuals of the same sex who have received a Certificate of Registered Domestic Partnership from the State of Oregon in compliance with ORS 432.405(1) and rules adopted by the State Registrar of the Center for Health Statistics. (5) “Eligible employee” means an individual who performs services for compensation for an employer for an average of at least 20 hours per week and includes all individuals employed at any site owned or operated in Oregon by an employer, but does not include independent contractors. (a) In determining an average of at least 20 hours per week, the employer must count actual hours worked using guidelines set out pursuant to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. (See 29 CFR § 785) (b) For the purpose of qualifying as an eligible employee, the employee need not perform services solely in the state of Oregon. (c) Eligibility of employees reemployed following a period of uniformed service: The federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act, 38 USC 43 (USERRA) provides that an employee reemployed following a period of uniformed service is entitled to the seniority and seniority-based rights and benefits that the employee had on the date the uniformed service began, plus any seniority and seniority-based rights and benefits that the employee would have attained if the employee had remained continuously employed. U.S. Department of Labor regulation 20 CFR §1002.210 provides that in determining entitlement to seniority and seniority-based rights and benefits, the period of absence from employment due to or necessitated by uniformed service is not considered a break in employment. The rights and benefits protected by USERRA upon reemployment include those provided by the employer and those required by statute. Under USERRA, a reemployed service member would be eligible for OMFLA leave if the number of days and the number of hours of work for which the service member was employed by the civilian employer, together with the number of days and number of hours of work for which the service member would have been employed by the civilian employer during the period of uniformed service, meet the eligibility requirements of these rules. In the event that a service member is denied OMFLA leave for failing to satisfy the days and hours of work requirement due to absence from employment necessitated by uniformed service, the service member may have a cause of action under USERRA but not under OMFLA. (d) ORS 659A.082–659A.088 provides that an employee reemployed following a period of uniformed service is entitled to the seniority and seniority-based rights and benefits that the employee had on the date the uniformed service began, plus any seniority and seniority-based rights and benefits that the employee would have attained if the employee had remained continuously employed. In determining entitlement to seniority and seniority-based rights and benefits, the period of absence from employment due to or necessitated by uniformed service is not considered a break in employment. If a reemployed service member was eligible for leave under OMFLA prior to the date uniformed service began, OMFLA's eligibility requirements are considered met. (6) "Intermittent leave" means leave taken in multiple blocks of time and/or requiring an altered or reduced work schedule. (7) “Period of Military Conflict” means a period of war: (a) Declared by the United States Congress; (b) Declared by executive order of the President of the United States; or (c) In which a reserve component of the Armed Forces of the United States is ordered to active duty pursuant to Title 32 of the United States Code or section 12301 or 12302 of Title 10 of the United States Code. (8) “Spouse” has the meaning given in OAR 839-009-0210(23).