HotCarl Posted November 3, 2011 Report Share Posted November 3, 2011 Has anyone ever had to deal with FMLA with their employer? Recently my mother suffered a stroke. When i found out monday night i immediatly left work and drove to cinci to see her at the hospital. I ended up missing a day and a half of work and had to sign some absenteeism paper when i got back (normal practice for my employer). However there is a chance she could be in the hospital a while and i was thinking of 'claiming' FMLA so i can at least have some time to see her besides driving back and forth on the weekends and also as a 'just in case' if anything gets worse and all the children should be there i dont have to worry about my employer giving me shit. So far my manager has been cool with me about it but im trying to plan ahead in the near future. Has anyone dealt with FMLA? Does it apply to your parents or just your spouse and children and your own personal health and well being? I understand it only keeps my position with the company and that its not PTO or anything. For my particular employer we have to use all of our personal time and vacation time before we start using our FMLA time. My uncle is a discrimination lawyer who has his own practice in Conneticut and teaches law at Uconn, i would ask him but we've been asking him so many other questions about power of attny and FMLA in regards to my mothers employer, i dont want to bug him about it unless i really have to, or if my employer tries to terminate me (which i dont think would happen). Any info would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8 Beast Posted November 3, 2011 Report Share Posted November 3, 2011 I have had this conversation like 1 million times over the last decade. -It protects your job, not your position -You can use FMLA for family members. Parents, spouse, kids, legal gaurdians, and people you legally care for. A few things you would need to know to see if you are eligible. How long have you worked there? Who handles your claims? Third party or internal? How many hours have you worked this year? Is her doctor willing to fill out the forms for you? How does your company handle time out of the business (do they have you use any accrued benefit time) p.s. Do it as fast as you can so that the days you already missed can be covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franchi Posted November 3, 2011 Report Share Posted November 3, 2011 (edited) I handle FMLA and Short Term Disability as my job so below are a few notes. Feel free to PM me with any questions. I can't answer whether or not you are eligible, but I can tell you the eligibility rules. In order to be eligible for it, the following must be fulfilled. 1) You have to have been employed longer then 12 months at same company 2) Worked more then 1,250 hours in past year 3) Your employer has to have more then 50 employee's in a 75 mile radius That's the basic eligibility rules that everybody is required by law to follow. There is two types of FMLA as well, continious and intermittant. Continious is for a set period of time, IE for 3 weeks solid from 11-07-2011 to 11-30-2011 or something like that, but you can also get it intermittant ( which in your case, is prob what you want or need ) where you can get it set up as episodic, which for example, when my dad was in hospital for cancer, I had it set up under approved ILP for 3 absences a week, each one lasting up to 1 day. Whatever time frame you get on an ILP or continious, is entirely dependant on the doctor who fills out the paperwork. Most doctors are very familiar with the process and be willing to work with you, just let them know what you are requesting. Some doctor office's charge a small fee to fill out FMLA paperwork, some do not. PM me any questions but trust that clarifies a bit for you. Edited November 3, 2011 by Franchi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.cos Posted November 3, 2011 Report Share Posted November 3, 2011 I am so glad that we have knowledgeable people on FMLA. it's an awesome program, and highly under used, IMHO. Everyone I have suggested it to says the same thing- " why do I need to file it, my boss has been great so far.". I then have to point out the "so far" point of what they have said. I'm sorry to hear about your mom, and wish you luck with her recovery!! File for FMLA If you qualify. What can it hurt, to have your employment Status protected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franchi Posted November 3, 2011 Report Share Posted November 3, 2011 Yep. Even if your boss might be fine with it, usually that's only up to a point and I can't count how many people have told me that they were on the verge of being fired and didn't know it at the time until they filed approved FMLA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8 Beast Posted November 3, 2011 Report Share Posted November 3, 2011 Yep. Even if your boss might be fine with it, usually that's only up to a point and I can't count how many people have told me that they were on the verge of being fired and didn't know it at the time until they filed approved FMLA. Being on the managerial side its not fun letting good workers go because they took too long to file. On the other end I have people that abuse it like crazy. I had 5 people out "sick" on trick or treat night. My opinion.. those people are somehow going to make it harder for people with real problems eventually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franchi Posted November 3, 2011 Report Share Posted November 3, 2011 /\/\ Yep. People get an approved ILP set up and then gasp, take off every Friday. And 95% of them don't have a legit reason like chemo or something. I see that and makes me have to go request a recert every 60 days or soon as allowed. Always folks who abuse it but far more really need it for a large variety of reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Bastard Posted November 3, 2011 Report Share Posted November 3, 2011 I'm glad to see there are some honest people using fmla, at my work 90% of the people on it abuse it, there was one lady who took a couple months off "because of breathing problems" funny that she left the very night we received our quarterly bonus check. Its funny that the same lady is responsible for a policy change now too cause she had 30 doctors excuses in a year. I'm sorry to hear about your mom though and I hope she gets better, I just hope a few don't ruin it for us all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotCarl Posted November 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 Being on the managerial side its not fun letting good workers go because they took too long to file. On the other end I have people that abuse it like crazy. I had 5 people out "sick" on trick or treat night. My opinion.. those people are somehow going to make it harder for people with real problems eventually. There are some guys at my work who abuse it like crazy. I never wanted to be 'type casted' as one of those guys so ive been reluctant to file for it. My manager and I are on pretty good terms, i dont call off sick for stupid reasons and im dependable so he didnt give me too much shit when i asked to leave last monday, but i knew calling off tue was pushing it and wed was out of the quesiton. So far ive only missed a full day plus 3hrs or so, so not too much time but again this is more of a precautionary move than anything. I have a weeks vacation already schedules starting this monday so im just trying to stay there this week then drive down to see her. I honestly thought, and all the doctors said that her condition would improve with time, treatment and physical therapy but it hasnt so this is definitly the direction im going. As for all the criteria both myself and my employer more than qualify so thats not a problem. Im not too thrilled about asking the dr to fill out my paperwork, in my opinion his job is to provide the best care for the patient and now im gonna approach him with some stupid FMLA paperwork to waste his time? oh well i suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trouble Maker Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 As for all the criteria both myself and my employer more than qualify so thats not a problem. Im not too thrilled about asking the dr to fill out my paperwork, in my opinion his job is to provide the best care for the patient and now im gonna approach him with some stupid FMLA paperwork to waste his time? oh well i suppose. Treating the patient is about more than just helping their physical condition. I would say (with the way the system is setup), this definitely falls under the umbrella of taking care of the patient. If you are there for mental and emotional support for your mom, she should be in better spirits. Any doctor worthy of the name will know that and be more than willing to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franchi Posted November 4, 2011 Report Share Posted November 4, 2011 Doctors do this countless times, don't feel bad for asking them. Usually their staff fills it out and they just sign off on it. Wouldn't be surprised if a single practice with 2 or 3 doctors and 5 to 7 staff fill out 2 dozen a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8 Beast Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 Doctors do this countless times, don't feel bad for asking them. Usually their staff fills it out and they just sign off on it. Wouldn't be surprised if a single practice with 2 or 3 doctors and 5 to 7 staff fill out 2 dozen a day. This. If you schedule an appointment they get paid for a full visit. If you drop it off most charge for that as well. Its a win win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceGhost Posted November 5, 2011 Report Share Posted November 5, 2011 I've been under FMLA since Andrew was born in April, I take a week off here and there for bonding and doctor visits. this lasts until he is 1. I get paid as long as I have leave time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.