Check out our 2021 FMLA Update. We cover what’s new over the past year and offer tips, tools, and best practices from legal and HR experts.

FMLA is one of the most popular search terms on our site, so we know it’s on the minds of employers and HR managers.  Because of this, we periodically gather new resources, articles and tools that readers might find valuable.

Key FMLA Resources

With a new administration at the helm, some of your federal go-to links may have changed. Here’s an update to some key resources.

What’s new in the past year:

Every year, Family Medical Leave Act guru and employment law attorney Jeff Nowak posts an important resource for HR professionals and employment attorneys on his blog, FMLA Insights. The American Bar Association’s summary of cases from the prior year  – “a comprehensive report of FMLA decisions handed down by the federal courts in the previous year.” ABA’s 2021 Summary of 2020 FMLA Cases (PDF).

New FMLA forms

  • HR Daily Advisor: DOL Releases New FMLA Model Forms – The updated FMLA forms have a revision date of “June 2020” and list an expiration date of “6/30/2023. According to the DOL, the new forms “are simpler and easier for employees, employers, leave administrators and healthcare providers to understand and use.” The forms contain new features such as more questions that users can answer by checking a response box and electronic signature features. The DOL believes the changes will reduce the time users spend providing information, improve communications between leave applicants and administrators and reduce the likelihood of violations.”
  • SHRM: A Guide to the New FMLA Forms – the Department of Labor (DOL) revised Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) forms this summer, resulting in extensive changes that require more specific information in notices and medical certifications. The use of the forms is optional; employers can still create their own, though many HR professionals rely on the templates from the DOL.
  • HR Daily Advisor: 6 Good Reasons to Use New Model FMLA Forms

A number of states added or revised their paid leave laws:

FMLA and Covid-19
The recent news of note was the extension of certain provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) via the American Rescue Act.

Also on Covid-19:

General FMLA issues 

ESI EAP benefits list

Recent HR Web Cafe Posts that may be of interest:

 

 

 

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