It’s been just over 10 years since the Department of Labor last introduced wholesale changes to the FMLA regulations.
Remember those happy days back in 2009, when we were introduced to new FMLA notice requirements (for all), clarity over employee eligibility and holidays, emphasis on call-in procedures, favorable bonus language and waivers of FMLA rights?
When it comes to administering FMLA, I’ll admit — I have grown cynical and hardened. Like a doctor who becomes desensitized to blood and guts, I, too, have become desensitized to an employee’s antics while on FMLA leave.
Taking FMLA leave for a beach vacation, you say? Sounds likely. Caring for your dying mother when,
Happy 25th birthday, FMLA!
As you might imagine, there may not be a more exciting day for me all year. After all, there is only one
I love my brother dearly. I love my sister just as much.
And whenever we near the end of life’s journey (a long time from now, of course), I’ll be there to care for them. And they, for me, despite
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arlier this month, I had the pleasure of presenting on complex FMLA issues at the American Bar Association’s Annual Labor and Employment conference. During the session, entitled “The FMLA 20 Years Later,” we covered key FMLA notice and medical certification issues and other difficult FMLA scenarios.
Notably, one of my co-panelists,
The Department of Labor announced today a proposed rule that would allow an employee to take FMLA leave to care for a same-sex spouse, regardless of whether the employee lives in a state that recognizes their marital status. As expected, the DOL has adopted a “state of celebration” rule, in which a spousal status for
This past December, the Department of Labor quietly turned its FMLA enforcement over to a new leader. After the retirement of FMLA Branch Chief Diane Dawson, who led the DOL’s FMLA enforcement for several years, the DOL turned to longtime DOL FMLA policy guru Helen Applewhaite to head up the agency’s FMLA efforts. (DOL doesn’t
Over the past several months, a number of employers have asked me when the Department of Labor would be issuing the Spanish version of its new DOL poster (which accounts for the new regulations issued earlier this year). The time has come – the poster is here.
Under the FMLA, an FMLA-covered employer must post
We have been sitting on the edge of our seat [ok, perhaps I’m on the seat alone] as we await the Department of Labor’s anticipated regulations interpreting how the Supreme Court’s DOMA decision impacts the definition of “spouse” under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
As you may recall, I predicted earlier this
Of course, this kind of stuff happens while I’m on vacation and away from my computer. Last week, the Wall Street Journal created a bit of an uproar when it reported that the Department of Labor had just issued “regulatory guidance to affirm that same-sex married couples can take a leave from their jobs to care