Illinois recently amended its Military Leave Act to provide up to 40 hours of paid leave per year (limited to eight hours per month) for employees serving on a funeral honors detail. This paid leave entitlement became effective August 1, 2025.
The amended law covers employers with 51 or more employees but does not specify whether this number includes employees outside Illinois.
To be eligible, an employee must have 12 months of employment with the covered employer and 1,250 hours of service with that employer in the preceding 12 months. The employee must also be trained to participate in a funeral honors detail, and must be either a retired or active member of the armed forces or a reserve component or an authorized provider or registered member of an organization that is an authorized provider.
“Authorized providers” are individuals or groups recognized by the armed forces who supplement or augment the uniformed members of a military funeral honors detail. Examples include veterans service organizations and trained volunteers of the Reserve Officer Training Corps.
“Funeral honors detail” is an honor guard detail provided for the funeral of a veteran, if it consists of at least two members of the United States armed forces (one from the deceased’s service branch and the remainder being members of the armed forces or an authorized provider). The funeral ceremony must include the folding of a United States flag, the presentation of the flag, and the...
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