Q: My husband was just diagnosed with a serious illness, possibly life threatening. I am unsure of my leave options at work. Can you share what I might be eligible for? I have never taken leave before.

A: You might qualify for the Family and Medical Leave Act. The law allows many employees to take up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave for a number of reasons, including to care for a spouse with a serious health condition. There are a few conditions, though.

Your employer has to employ 50 or more workers. You need to have worked for your employer for 12 months or more. Also, you must have worked at least 1,250 hours in the last 12 months. Finally, you must work at a location where the employer has 50 employees within 75 miles.

Note the law does not require that your employer pay you for this time off. A helpful fact sheet can be found at www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs28.pdf.

You also might qualify for earned sick time assuming you are employed in Massachusetts. As of July 1, 2015, employees in the state are permitted to take up to 40 hours per year of sick time for a number of reasons, again with one being to care for a sick spouse. If your employer has 11 or more employees, the sick time must be paid, assuming you have earned it. More information can be found at www.mass.gov/ago/docs/workplace/earned-sick-time/est-employee-notice.pdf.

Your company might also have its own internal policy on sick time, family illness, or paid time off. It might be helpful to review internal policies on time off or leaves of absence.

Human Resources might be helpful. They might be able to work through a few scenarios with you. It is wise to know options in advance. There might be flex hours or telecommuting options that could assist you during this time.

Also, many employers offer Employee Assistance Programs, which provide short-term counseling, resources, and referrals.

Patricia Hunt Sinacole is president of First Beacon Group, a human resources consulting firm in Hopkinton.