Law Offices of John P. Martin

As the 15th anniversary of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) approaches, the Bush administration is proposing significant changes.

The FMLA lets qualifying employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for newborns, to tend family members who have serious medical issues, to tend to themselves when they have serious medical issues, etc.

Under proposals being considered by the Labor Department, workers would have to tell their bosses in advance when they take nonemergency leave, instead of being able to wait until two days after they left. They would have to undergo “fitness-for-duty” evaluations if they took intermittent leave for medical reasons and wanted to return to physically demanding jobs. To prove that they had a “serious health condition,” they would have to visit a health-care provider at least twice within a month of falling ill. What’s more, employers would have the right to contact health-care providers who authorized leave.”

Washington Post

FMLA is an important conerstone of employee rights and it should be watched closely to ensure that it retains its strength and vitality.