Top 10 Tips for Intermittent FMLA Management

Managing intermittent FMLA leave while minimizing fraud and abuse is challenging. J.L. Nick & Associates offers HR consulting in Erie, PA and Pittsburgh, PA to help you navigate the best practices and efficiently meet the needs of your employees. Read our top 10 tips to make the FMLA management process as smooth as possible.

Ten “Musts” for a Smooth FMLA Management Process

1. Require medical certification
2. Make sure certification is sufficient
3. Contact the physician for verification
4. Encourage the employee to work with you in scheduling
5. Relocate to a position where absences are less disruptive (if applicable) 
6. Look for obvious abuse patterns
7. Arm your first-line supervisors with a list of questions to ask
8. Ensure processing systems can handle tracking
9. Implement a policy 
10. Require recertification every 30 days

What Does the FMLA Intermittent Leave Provide Employees? 

One of the most vexing problems facing employers who are covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act is managing employee intermittent leaves. The FMLA allows employers some flexibility in granting different kinds of intermittent leave. Employees are entitled to take it for serious health conditions. The law also allows the use of intermittent leave for child care after the birth or placement of an adopted child, but only if the employer agrees to it. It’s not always simple, however. The potential for abuse is great, but it can be curbed if an employer is diligent and willing to take measures such as those that follow.

HR Consulting Solutions for Companies Dealing with FMLA Intermittent Leave

Intermittent FMLA leave is truly a necessity for some employees. However, employers need to do everything they can to prevent the “speeders” from misusing a year’s worth of protected absences. Be sure to follow these 10 tips when dealing with intermittent FMLA leave in your company for a positive and safe work environment. 

1. Require a medical certification that it is medically necessary to take intermittent leave. Use the Department of Labor form, which requires information on minimum leave required and frequency of treatments. Attach a job description or list of essential duties to assist the physician. Obtain a 2nd and, if needed, a 3rd opinion on an initial certification.
2. Make sure the certification is complete and sufficient. If not, request in writing that specific issues be “cured.” If the employee doesn’t provide the information within seven days, the leave may be delayed or denied.
3. An HR professional or management official, but not the employee’s supervisor, should contact the physician to clarify handwriting, meaning, or authenticity if questionable.
4. Encourage the employee to work with you in setting up a schedule that includes as many treatments as possible in off-work hours.
5. Transfer the employee to a position where absences are less disruptive (as long as pay and benefits remain equivalent).
6. Look for obvious abuse patterns and bring it to the certifying doctor’s attention (such as the Monday/Friday syndrome).
7. Arm your first-line supervisors with a list of questions to ask when an employee calls off “sick.” This will help to ensure all absences related to the condition are counted.
8. Ensure your processing systems can handle tracking of intermittent FMLA leave.
9. Implement a policy that employees use up paid leave time for their intermittent absences (as well as “block” absences).
10. Require recertification every 30 days, if the employee asks for an extension, if circumstances change, or if you receive suspicious information. Require a new certification for each 12-month period.