The new Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) forms issued by the Department of Labor (“DOL”) have one change: the expiration date is now February 28, 2015. The forms can be found here . The forms do not make reference to the amendments to military family leave or include the safe harbor language from the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (“GINA”). Employers will need to add the GINA safe harbor language to the FMLA medical certification form for the employee’s own health condition to prevent healthcare providers from disclosing employees’ genetic information. Here is the safe harbor language:
The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) prohibits employers and other entities covered by GINA Title II from requesting or requiring genetic information of an individual or family member of the individual, except as specifically allowed by this law. To comply with this law, we are asking that you not provide any genetic information when responding to this request for medical information. ‘Genetic Information’ as defined by GINA includes an individual’s family medical history, the results of an individual’s or family member’s genetic tests, the fact that an individual or an individual’s family member sought or received genetic services, and genetic information of a fetus carried by an individual or an individual’s family member or an embryo lawfully held by an individual or family member receiving assistive reproductive services.