Kelly, an administrative assistant for Penn State Health, racked up quite a few absences over a short period of time. Some of these absences related to GI issues that ordinarily would be covered by the FMLA.
In Kelly’s case, however, she repeatedly failed to timely report these absences, which led to attendance points.
Penn State Health’s call-in procedures required employees like Kelly to make two calls whenever they wanted to request FMLA leave:
1) one call…
Recently, an email I received from a HR-related organization caught my eye.
The email was fashioned as a Q&A. One of its members posed a question that I’ve paraphrased here:
Our practice is to reach out to employees on FMLA leave once a month to check in and see how they are doing. So long as we just check in and do not discuss return to work, are allowed to do this?
The organization called…
The questions have come in all kinds of shapes and sizes.
Q: I furloughed several of my employees in 2020. Does the time on furlough count toward their FMLA eligibility?
Q: We forced an employee to take a leave of absence when they exhibited symptoms of COVID-19, which led to a multi-week leave of absence. Does the fact that we forced them to take leave change whether those hours should be credited toward FMLA eligibility?…
Last night, President-elect Joe Biden unveiled his plan to provide much-needed relief from the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need for a more aggressive vaccination rollout and additional cash payments to Americans to help the country recover.
Called the American Rescue Plan, Biden’s plan is expected to cost $1.9 trillion.
Along with a general overview of the proposed economic relief plan, employers got a sneak peek into the new administration’s plan for paid leave. Touting…
As we turn the page to a new year, employers covered by FFCRA face a host of questions now that FFCRA is purely voluntary.
For instance, employers are navigating questions such as: Should an employer voluntarily provide FFRCA leave to eligible employees now that leave is no longer mandatory? Is an employer allowed to provide emergency paid sick leave but not paid FMLA leave? (Or visa versa?) And does the employee receive a whole…
FMLA and ADA friends:
You’ve known me long enough to appreciate that I don’t engage in a whole lot of shameless self-promotion. Well, ok, some, but not so distasteful that you’ve given up on me, right?
So, can you indulge me one time?
Over the past several years, you are facing increasingly difficult FMLA, ADA and state leave issues, and you likely have limited internal resources to help. Some of you have modest-sized HR and…
The Department of Labor is quickly catching up to the telemedicine explosion and America’s remote workplace.
In an effort to ease FMLA administration and address the lightning-fast move toward telemedicine visits during the COVID-19 pandemic, the DOL issued guidance yesterday making clear that a telemedicine visit with a health care provider can be used to support FMLA leave.
As you may recall under the FMLA, one way for an employee to prove they have a…
Remember my post yesterday suggesting that FFCRA would be extended to 2021?
Well, that was a false start. Throw the five-yard flag on me.
Late last night, as I read through House Speaker Pelosi’s press release announcing a stimulus deal, I focused in on the following statement that the new stimulus bill:
Supports paid sick leave: The agreement provides a tax credit to support employers offering paid sick leave, based on the Families First framework.…
Yesterday, Congressional leaders agreed on a $900 billion stimulus package that would provide modest stimulus funding to Americans and employers to help them overcome the hardship created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer issued a press release late yesterday indicating that, among other things, this latest stimulus package will extend the payroll tax subsidy for employers offering workers paid sick leave. (News outlets are reporting the same …
Hearing the growing calls to provide clear guidance on the extent to which employers can require their employees to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine, the EEOC has updated its Technical Assistance guide “What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws” on the subject of the COVID-19 vaccine.
What the heck does this have to do with FMLA, you ask?
Well, not a whole lot.
But: 1) advising…