At the heart of the debate about labels is a conflict about whether a marriage between same-sex partners is the same as or different to a marriage between opposite-sex partners. Proponents of legalising same-sex marriage argue that the sex of the partners in a marriage is irrelevant to the nature of the union.
If an employee is on FMLA, can they use say 20 hours of vacation, annual or sick leave per pay period to simply cover the costs of their benefits if they are considered a full time employee who typically works 80 hours per pay period.
A mental illness severe enough to warrant hospitalization is virtually always a serious health condition under FMLA. Many mental illnesses that do not require hospitalization are serious health conditions. The employee is entitled to up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12 month period. To address your questions: Yes, you can put the employee on FMLA leave now, without her requesting it.