Channeling my inner Steve Martin for those old enough to remember that 1979 classic, The Jerk (trust me, parts of it didn't age well), or when phone books were actually a thing, I am happy to announce that the US Department of Labor has issued new certification and designation forms to be used when employees request or need leaves of absence under the Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA"). The new forms are touted as being clearer and easier to complete and interpret. At first blush, that does appear to be the case. These are standard forms for employers who are required to comply with the FMLA and are not designed to address requests for Emergency Paid Family Leave for COVID-19 qualifying reasons.
It is noteworthy that employers are not required to use these specific forms and can use the prior versions or their own self-created versions. The forms and a useful Q and A can be found at:
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla/forms
Originally published by McClane, August 2020
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