Under certain conditions, an employee may use the 12 weeks of FMLA leave intermittently. An employee may elect to substitute annual leave and/or sick leave, consistent with current laws and OPM's regulations for using annual and sick leave, for any unpaid leave under the FMLA. (The amount of sick leave that may be used to care for a family member is limited.
What Are Bruises? A bruise is a common skin discoloration that results from the breakage of tiny blood vessels leaking under the skin after a traumatic injury. Blood from damaged blood vessels beneath the skin collects near the surface to appear as what we recognize as a black and blue mark.
What causes bruising? Impact injuries to soft tissues cause capillaries, small blood vessels under the skin, to break. Red blood cells then leak out of the capillaries and collect under the skin, accounting for the color of the bruise. The color changes in bruises over time signal that healing is in progress and the body is metabolizing the blood cells in the skin. You may bruise more easily as you get older and skin becomes thinner.