Showing posts with label military family leave. Show all posts
Showing posts with label military family leave. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

DOL Amends FMLA Regulations . . . Again

Earlier this month, the DOL published final regulations to implement FMLA amendments contained in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (NDAA) and the Airline Flight Crew Technical Corrections Act (AFCTCA). In addition, the DOL removed the "optional" FMLA forms -- such as the prototype medical certification, eligibility notice and designation forms --  from the appendices to the FMLA regulations so that now they can only be found on the DOL website. There were also some selective changes concerning impossibility and intermittent leave and compliance with GINA. Finally, the DOL republished the FMLA regulations in their entirety (i.e., both the amended and non-amended regulations) for the "convenience" of the public.  The regulations become effective on March 8, 2013. 

The new regulations clarify at §825.500(g) that employers are required to comply with GINA to the extent the FMLA certification forms contain genetic information, such as family medical histories:
To the extent that records and documents created for FMLA purposes contain family medical history or genetic information as defined in GINA, employers must maintain such records in accordance with the confidentiality requirements of Title II of GINA. GINA permits genetic information, including family medical history, obtained by the employer in FMLA records and documents to be disclosed consistent with the requirements of the FMLA.
The 2010 NDAA expanded FMLA exigency leave rights to include family members of any branch of the regular armed forces (beyond National Guard and Reservists which were already covered by the 2008 NDAA) and by adding a foreign deployment requirement for all of them. The new regulations also increase "the length of time an eligible family member may take for the qualifying exigency leave reason of Rest and Recuperation from five days to up to a maximum of 15 days and creates a new qualifying exigency leave category for parental care."  
An eligible employee may take qualifying exigency leave to care for the parent of a military member, or someone who stood in loco parentis to the military member, when the parent is incapable of self-care and the need for leave arises out of the military member's covered active duty or call to covered active duty status. . . . . the parental care qualifying exigency provision in the Final Rule tracks the childcare provision in setting out the types of situations when qualifying exigency leave is available. Thus, parental care qualifying exigency leave may be used for: (i) Arranging for alternative care for a parent of the military member when the parent is incapable of self-care and the covered active duty or call to covered active duty status of the military member necessitates a change in the existing care arrangements; (ii) providing care for a parent of the military member on an urgent, immediate need basis (but not on a routine, regular, or everyday basis) when the parent is incapable of self-care and the need to provide such care arises from the covered active duty or call to covered active duty status of the military member; (iii) admitting or transferring a parent of the military member to a care facility when the admittance or transfer is necessitated by the covered active duty or call to covered active duty status of the military member; and (iv) attending meetings with staff at a care facility for the parent of the military member, such as meeting with hospice or social service providers, when such meetings are necessitated by the covered active duty or call to covered active duty status of the military member (but not for routine or regular meetings).
Military caregiver leave has also been expanded to cover the family members of recent veterans (who served within the prior five years and incurred an injury or illness in the line of active duty which manifested itself before or after the member became a veteran) and illnesses and injuries which existed prior to active duty, but were aggravated in the line of active duty. A veteran's serious health condition can qualify under several different scenarios.  An employer is also entitled to seek a second and third medical opinion in a few of the scenarios. 
The AFCTCA amendments place airline employees in a special location "Subpart H" for FMLA issues. The Final Rule adopts a uniform entitlement for airline flight crew employees of 72 days of leave for one or more of the FMLA-qualifying reasons (i.e., serious health condition, adoption and exigency leave) and 156 days of military caregiver leave.  In addition, airline employers may not use FMLA increments of more than one-day. Finally, the new regulations establish special hours of service eligibility requirements for airline flight crew employees. 
      

NOTICE: This summary is designed merely to inform and alert you of recent legal developments. It does not constitute legal advice and does not apply to any particular situation because different facts could lead to different results. Information here can change or be amended without notice. Readers should not act upon this information without legal advice. If you have any questions about anything you have read, you should consult with or retain an employment attorney.

Friday, July 2, 2010

OHIO’S MILITARY FAMILY LEAVE ACT BECOMES EFFECTIVE TODAY

Ohio's new Military Family Leave Act becomes effective today at Ohio Revised Code § 5906.01 et seq. It applies to employers, defined as "a person who employs fifty or more employees" and includes the state, and other political entities, schools, townships, counties, etc. In other words, it covers not just employers already subject to the FMLA, but also all other employers who have 50 employees – regardless of whether those employees are located at a worksite within a 75 mile radius.

Under the Act, employers must provide employees with unpaid " leave up to ten days or eighty hours, whichever is less," once per calendar year when:

  • The employee has worked at least 1250 hours in the preceding twelve months and has worked for the employer for at least 12 consecutive months. (Unlike the FMLA, the employee needs to work for 12 consecutive months instead of any twelve months strung together over a number of years).
  • The employee is the parent, spouse, or person who has had legal custody of a person
    • who is a member of the uniformed services and
    • who is called to "active duty" in the uniformed services for a period longer than 30 days OR is injured, wounded, or hospitalized while serving on active duty in the uniformed services.


      Active duty means full-time duty in the active federal military services or pursuant to an executive order of the U.S. President, an act of Congress or proclamation of the governor. It does NOT include active duty for training, initial active duty for training, or the period of time for which a person is absent from a position of employment for the purpose of an examination to determine the fitness of the person to perform any duty unless such period is contemporaneous with an active duty period.


  • The employee gives the required advance notice:
    • When the employee is taking leave because of a call to active duty, the employee must give at least 14 days advance notice to the employer that the employee intends to take leave under this Act;
    • When the employee is taking leave because of an injury, wound or hospitalization, the employee must give the employer at least 2 days advance notice;
    • No notice must be given to an employer if the employee receives notice from a representative of the uniformed service that the injury, would, or hospitalization is of a critical or life-threatening nature.
  • The leave takes place no more than two weeks prior to or one week after the deployment date of the employee's spouse, child or ward or former ward. (I would have to assume that leave for an injured family member is not subject to this requirement).
  • The employee does not have any other leave available to use (other than sick or disability leave).


Employers may require the employee requesting leave to provide certification from the appropriate military authority to verify that the employee satisfies the above criteria.

Covered employers are required to continue providing benefits to the employee during the leave of absence, but the employee shall be responsible for the same proportion of the cost of the benefits as the employee regularly pays during non-leave periods. Employers are also required to restore the employee to the position the employee held before taking that leave with equivalent seniority, benefits, pay and other terms and conditions of employment. Employers are also prohibited from discharging, fining, suspending, expelling, disciplining or discriminating against an employee regarding any term or condition of employment because of the employee's actual or potential exercise (or support for another employee's exercise) of any right under this Act. Nonetheless, employers are not otherwise prevented from taking employment action that is independent of the employee's exercise of rights under this Act.


Employees may not be required to waive their rights under this Act.


No collective bargaining agreements or benefit plans may be executed after today which limit or require an employee to waive his or her rights under this Act. However, employer must still comply with any collective bargaining agreement or benefit plan which provides leave benefits similar to those established by this Act which are greater than the leave rights provided by this Act. Indeed, an employer may provide better leave benefits than are required by this Act.


Finally, employers may be subject to a civil action for injunctive "or any other" relief that a court finds necessary to secure an employee's rights under this Act. I hear a public policy tort action coming . . . . . .

NOTICE: This summary is designed merely to inform and alert you of recent legal developments. It does not constitute legal advice and does not apply to any particular situation because different facts could lead to different results. Information here can change or be amended without notice. Readers should not act upon this information without legal advice. If you have any questions about anything you have read, you should consult with or retain an employment attorney.



Tuesday, January 20, 2009

DOL Posts New FMLA Forms on its Website.

The newly revised FMLA regulations became effective on Friday, January 16, 2009 and the Department of Labor has posted the new FMLA forms on its website at http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/fmla/finalrule.htm. These new forms include:
• WH-380-E Certification of Health Care Provider for Employee’s Serious Health Condition (PDF)
• WH-380-F Certification of Health Care Provider for Family Member’s Serious Health Condition (PDF)
• WH-381 Notice of Eligibility and Rights & Responsibilities (PDF)
• WH-382 Designation Notice (PDF)
• WH-384 Certification of Qualifying Exigency For Military Family Leave (PDF)
• WH-385 Certification for Serious Injury or Illness of Covered Servicemember -- for Military Family Leave (PDF)

NOTICE: This summary is designed merely to inform and alert you of recent legal developments. It does not constitute legal advice and does not apply to any particular situation because different facts could lead to different results. Information here can change or be amended without notice. Readers should not act upon this information without legal advice. If you have any questions about anything you have read, you should consult with or retain an employment attorney.