That’s 2 hours and five minutes after their shift is to start
explains how vagueness concerning the health condition can lead to ineffi�ciencies. “Certification forms are often returned incomplete, or with vague or contradictory information that suggests the health hookup Norfolk care provider did not understand the form or the FMLA’s requirements. The regu�lations currently provide that a health care provider representing the employer may contact the employee’s health care provider to obtain clarification, but only with the employee’s ‘permission.’ Although this type of doctor-to doctor conversation is the most efficient way to obtain clarification, the required permission is frequently refused, particularly in those cases where improper FMLA use is suspected.”
Our Plant/Corporate personnel departments provide very little guidance as it’s very plain to see they are scared stiff of possible law suits
- Luis Villarruel from the Hancock Physician Network says that some patients seem to want FMLA pro�tection because of absence problems rather than a medical condition. “In my experience it is used mainly by problem employees needing to justify their chronic absences. Other patients/employee with similar if not worse conditions do not seem to utilize it. Through litigation it is used in as little as 15 minute increments, used in my experiences by employees to arrive to work late.”
- Suzanne Kilts feels that the term “serious health condition” should be redefined and explains why. “The term so frequently used in FMLA ‘Serious Health Condition’ should be changed to the ACTS Law, mean�ing ‘A’ Any ‘C’ Condition ‘T’ That ‘S’ Suits. These are examples of actual serious health conditions that we have had. An employee’s wife who suffers from migraine headaches has an attack after he calls her at his lunch time. The same employee gets a call from his wife shortly after his machine has a mechanical prob�lem he doesn’t want to repair. The same employee again has his work assignment changed to an area he dislikes and a short time later he receives another call from his wife. Another intermittent employee’s girlfriend goes home on vacation and an hour later his condition causes him to have to leave. This same individual can’t be given time off so he can attend modeling classes so he files for FMLA and gets it. One night while he’s off for an FMLA call off he text messages a fellow employee from a bar rubbing it in to him that he’s working and the FMLA employee is enjoying a drink. Another case of abuse comes from an employee on the second shift who states that he can’t start at his regular starting time of 3PM on a spe�cific day. He’s approached as to why he is unable to report to work and he said that the day he is going to be late he has to take his wife for a d. He is questioned why he still can’t be on time for work and he states in order to get some sleep plus he wants to take his kids out Hallow�eening before he comes in to work.
“As long as the FMLA employee has vacation time remaining we can charge them a vacation day for their absence. On our intermittent FMLA employees, we have had several occasions where the employee does not call in for his FMLA absence until minutes before their shift start. Just last week I had an FMLA call off at 9:05AM in the morning. “
Our Plant/Corporate personnel departments provide very little guidance as it’s very plain to see they are scared stiff of possible law suits
- Ginger-Lee Rasler from AM General LLC explains how liberal medical certifications can breed abuse. “There have been certifications turned in approving an employee for up to every day each month for sinus infections. Moreover, in every case that we have questioned the authenticity or asked for recerti�fication if they have gone outside the scope of the current certification, the physician has increased the amount of time off work per episode of incapacity.”