Once a year 恐怕是你的理解，法律上应该是 12 month period,

首先，法律上没有paid family leave，只会是公司政策，如果是这样，那么你要去问公司。

其次，如果你说的是FMLA，那是unpaid。12 weeks in a 12 month period. 所以如果你上一次是6/1开始，你下一次也要从明年6/1开始算。申请什么时候都可以递交，但是真正的leave要看12 month period，而不是calendar year。

 

https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/1421.htm?

Leave Entitlement

A covered employer must grant an eligible employee up to a total of 12 workweeks of unpaid leave in a 12 month period for one or more of the following reasons:

• for the birth of a son or daughter, and to care for the newborn child;
• for the placement with the employee of a child for adoption or foster care, and to care for the newly placed child;
• to care for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent — but not a parent "in-law") with a serious health condition; and
• when the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition.