{"id":275,"date":"2020-07-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/norrismclaughlin.com\/njelb\/2020\/07\/20\/u-s-department-labor-new-fmla-forms-guidance-return-to-work-issues\/"},"modified":"2020-07-20T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-07-20T00:00:00","slug":"u-s-department-labor-new-fmla-forms-guidance-return-to-work-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/norrismclaughlin.com\/njelb\/personnel-practices\/u-s-department-labor-new-fmla-forms-guidance-return-to-work-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Department of Labor Issues New FMLA Forms and Guidance on Return-To-Work Issues"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) continues to be very active in providing information to the public. Last week, the DOL issued new optional forms that employers can use for the administration of leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The updated forms address the issues of eligibility for leave, the designation of leave, and the certification needed from an employee\u2019s health care provider.<!--more--><\/p>\n<h2><strong>New FMLA Forms<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>In its press release, the DOL announced that the forms are \u201csimpler and easier to understand for employers, leave administrators, healthcare providers, and employees seeking leave.\u201d\u00a0Among the changes announced by the DOL are boxes that can be checked instead of requiring written responses, and electronic signature features. As the DOL stated, \u201c[t]he changes reduce the amount of time it takes a healthcare provider to provide information, and help leave administrators review and communicate information to employees more directly and with greater clarity, reducing the likelihood of violations.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/norrismclaughlin.com\/njelb\/1985\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Copies of these updated forms can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>DOL Request for Information<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The DOL also announced that it will publish a Request For Information (RFI) which will seek public feedback on the administration and use of FMLA leave. Specifically, the RFI will ask employees and employers to provide input as to what they would \u201clike to see changed in the FMLA regulations to better effectuate the rights and obligations under the FMLA.\u201d Simultaneously, the Women\u2019s Bureau of the DOL announced the publication of an RFI seeking information on \u201cthe impact of paid family and medical leave on America\u2019s workforce.\u201d Given these initiatives, further changes and revisions to the FMLA and paid family leave at the federal level can be anticipated.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Guidance on Return-To-Work Issues<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Today, the DOL\u2019s Wage and Hour Division, published updated guidance as to how the <a href=\"https:\/\/norrismclaughlin.com\/njelb\/1986\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fair Labor Standards Act<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/norrismclaughlin.com\/njelb\/1987\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">FMLA<\/a>, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/norrismclaughlin.com\/njelb\/1970\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)<\/a> all impact the workplace as employees continue to return to work. As announced in the DOL\u2019s press release, \u201c[t]he new guidance provides plain-language questions and answers addressing critical issues under all three laws.\u201d The guidance also includes <a href=\"https:\/\/norrismclaughlin.com\/njelb\/1988\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Q&amp;As<\/a> about FFCRA-posting requirements and another optional poster on \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/norrismclaughlin.com\/njelb\/1989\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How much paid leave can employees take?<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"post_content\">If you have any questions about this post or any other related matters, please feel free to contact me at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:ptcollins@norris-law.com\">ptcollins@norris-law.com<\/a>. For more information related to COVID-19, visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/norrismclaughlin.com\/njelb\/432\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Coronavirus Thought Leadership Connection<\/a>.<em>T<\/em><em>he information contained in this post may not reflect the most current developments, as the subject matter is extremely fluid and constantly changing. Please continue to monitor this site for ongoing developments. Readers are also cautioned against taking any action based on information contained herein without first seeking advice from professional legal counsel<\/em>.<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) continues to be very active in providing information to the public. Last week, the DOL issued new optional forms that employers can use for the administration of leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The updated forms address the issues of eligibility for leave, the designation of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":215,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,2,46],"tags":[202,30,154,141,84,205],"coauthors":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.1 (Yoast SEO v22.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>U.S. Department of Labor Issues New FMLA Forms and Guidance on Return-To-Work Issues - Norris in the Workplace<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/norrismclaughlin.com\/njelb\/personnel-practices\/u-s-department-labor-new-fmla-forms-guidance-return-to-work-issues\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"U.S. Department of Labor Issues New FMLA Forms and Guidance on Return-To-Work Issues\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) continues to be very active in providing information to the public. 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