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Are You Prepared To Grant Intermittent Family Medical Leave?

5/14/19

By: David Daniels

One of the biggest employer complaints about the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is the productivity problems caused by employees’ use—and abuse—of FMLA intermittent leave.
The problem: Employees with chronic health problems often take FMLA leave in short increments of an hour or less.
The Department of Labor (DOL) took a big step to help minimize workplace disruptions due to unscheduled FMLA absences in its revised regulations, which took effect in 2009. The DOL says that, in most cases now, employees who take FMLA intermittent leave must follow their employers’ call-in procedures for reporting an absence, unless there are unusual circumstances.
Tracking Intermittent FMLA Leave
Even though managing FMLA intermittent leave can be vexing, the law does give employers some tools to combat leave abuse.
As with leave taken in one block, employees requesting FMLA intermittent leave must provide his or her employer with notice. Employees must give at least 30 days’ notice when their need for FMLA leave is foreseeable. When it’s not, they must notify you “as soon as practicable.”
A. Certify and schedule the leave.
Don’t accept FMLA requests at face value. The law gives employers the right to demand certification from the employee’s doctor of his or her need for leave. An employer can request new medical certification from the employee at the start of each FMLA year. The law also entitles an employer to ask for a second or third opinion, if necessary, before granting leave.
When employees have chronic conditions and their certifications call for FMLA intermittent leave, an employer should attempt to work out leave schedules as far in advance as possible. It’s legal to try to schedule FMLA-related absences, but an employer can’t deny them.
It’s important to immediately nail down the expected frequency and duration of FMLA intermittent leave. An employer can insist on a medical provider’s estimate of how often the employee will need time off. An employer also can wait until the provider gives an estimate to approve intermittent leave.
B. Intermittent Leave Tips.

  • Ask about the specific condition. Medical certification must relate only to the serious health condition that is causing the leave. An employer can’t ask about the employee’s general health or other conditions.
  • Allow 15 days to respond. After an employer requests certification, the employer should give employees at least 15 calendar days to submit the paperwork. If the employee’s medical certification is incomplete or insufficient, specify in writing what information is lacking and allow the employee seven days to cure the deficiency.
  • If an employer doubts the need for leave, it should investigate the certification. Under the updated FMLA regulations, the employer can contact the employee’s physician directly to clarify the medical certification. The employer’s contact person can be a health care provider, a human resources professional, a leave administrator (including third-party administrators) or a management official, but not the employee’s direct supervisor.
  • If an employer is still not convinced, it can require (and pay for) a second opinion. The employer should use an independent doctor who it selects, not a doctor who works for the employer. If the two opinions conflict, an employer can pay for a third and final, binding medical opinion.

Employees who take FMLA intermittent leave can wreak havoc with work schedules. Because their conditions can flare up at any time, their absences are by nature unpredictable. But there are ways you can legally curtail intermittent leave.
C. Use the Calendar-year Method.
Employees who take FMLA intermittent leave can wreak havoc with work schedules. Because their conditions can flare up at any time, their absences are by nature unpredictable. But there are ways you can legally curtail intermittent leave.
One way is to use the calendar-year method to set FMLA leave eligibility.
Here’s how it works. Sometime during the calendar year, an employee submits medical documentation showing she will need intermittent leave for a chronic condition. If she is eligible for leave at that time, she can take up to 12 weeks of intermittent leave until the end of the calendar year.
Then the process starts again.
If, on Jan. 1, she hasn’t worked 1,250 hours in the preceding 12 months, she’s no longer eligible—and won’t be eligible again until she hits 1,250 hours.
Final tip:  Employees who are approved for FMLA intermittent leave can take that time off as needed. But that doesn’t mean an employer isn’t entitled to some supporting documentation for each absence. An employer can ask for proof that the absence was for the chronic condition—but a simple doctor’s note to that effect should suffice. No new formal certification is required.
Wait until the end of your FMLA leave year to get the new intermittent-leave certification.
This is only a short primer on FMLA leave laws which can be a trap for the unwary employer. David Daniels the managing partner of the FMG Sacramento office. Please feel free to contact him at (916) 765-2570 (ddaniels@fmglaw.com) should you wish to further discuss the FMLA or any other areas of employment law at your convenience.