Family Medical Leave Act Q&A

The following questions and answers are provided only as a guide and are not intended to be definitive on FMLA or university policy.

General Questions

• What is FMLA?
• What are reasons for taking FMLA?
• How much notice does an employee need to give for FMLA leave?
• What counts as a serious health condition?
• Under what circumstances may an FMLA leave be denied?

Eligibility

• What are the eligibility requirements?
• Are part time and hourly employees eligible?
• What option would be available if an employee is not eligible for FMLA and needs to take time off for a birth or serious health condition?
• Who are the family members covered under FMLA?

FMLA benefit

• How is FMLA time paid?
• May an employee choose which accrued time off to use during the FMLA?
• What happens if an employee runs out of paid time during an FMLA absence?
• How long does a department have to respond to an apparent FMLA need?
• May an employee have more than one FMLA absence in a year?
• Is 12 weeks of FMLA protection always available each calendar year for University employees?
• Who qualifies under the FMLA as a health care provider?
• What happens at the end of an FMLA?

Use of FMLA

• May an employee use FMLA on an intermittent basis?
• May an employee use FMLA on an intermittent basis for the birth or placement of a child in the employee’s home?
• Can work schedule issues or assignment to alternative positions be considered in the request for intermittent FMLA leave?

Use and accrual of benefits during FMLA

• What happens to benefits during an FMLA leave?
• Does the University continue to pay a portion of health insurance coverage during an FMLA absence?

Certification/documentation

• Is there any paperwork that needs to be filled out for FMLA?
• Is medical certification required?
• Is medical certification required for the birth of a child?
• Does a new FMLA application need to be filled out for each FMLA condition?
• Is FMLA paperwork and information kept confidential?
• How is FMLA leave to be recorded?
• Does an employee apply for FMLA for each calendar year?
• Is an E-Doc used during FMLA?
• May a department request re-certification of a serious health condition?
• May the department contact the health care provider for clarification or for answers to questions?
• What if the employee does not provide the required medical certification?

 

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All IU campus locations: Contact your campus HR representative.

IU Bloomington location: Contact the Human Resource Assistant at 812-856-6047.