Proposed revisions to the Family Medical Leave Act impact on a few critical areas:
- Definition of a serious health condition. The proposed rules would require that, in order to be a serious medical condition, two or more treatments must occur within 30 days of the start of incapacity.
- The ability to get accurate medical information creates a challenge for employers. The proposed regulations would allow an employer to contact a health care provider directly to authenticate medical certifications. Employers could also require employees to comply with their attendance procedures. The best way to handle authorization under HIPAA remains an issue.
- Incremental leave. There’s an effort underway to set minimum leave standards — say at least one-half day.
We encourage HR That Works users to listen to April’s Webinar on FMLA Traps for the Unwary. We’ll keep you posted once the new regulations go final. You can get more information here.
