Last week the U.S. Department of Labor published a proposed rule to extend FMLA benefits to same-sex spouses on the same terms as spouses of other legally recognized marriages. This will confirm, if passed, that FMLA benefits must be provided to all eligible employees to: care for their legally married spouses who have a serious health
A Most Ridiculous Employment Regulation
@RussellCawyer FMLA “Family and Medical Leave Act”
Continue Reading A Most Ridiculous Employment Regulation
FMLA Doesn’t Always Require Reinstatement to an Equivalent Position
While the FMLA normally requires an eligible employee be reinstated to an equivalent position at the end of his FMLA leave, the employee has no greater right to reinstatement than if the employee had been continually employed. Thus, there are several situations where an employee is not entitled to reinstatement.
First, where an employer conducts a layoff or reduction
Using GPS Tracking Technology to Prove Intermittent FMLA Abuse?
The U.S. Supreme Court will decide next term whether it is law enforcement’s warrantless placement of GPS devices on a suspect’s vehicle amounts to an unlawful search or seizure in violation of the Fourth Amendment. The Fifth Circuit has already authorized law enforcement’s use of this warrantless tactic. Similarly, a New Jersey court has blessed a spouse’s use of GPS
EEOC Holds Hearing on Leave of Absence as Reasonable Accommodation
This week the EEOC held a hearing on whether new or updated regulations and enforcement guidance was needed with respect to providing leave of absence as a reasonable accommodation for disabled employees. The EEOC has recently been very aggressive in bringing suit against employers that use maximum leave policies or "inflexible" policies that provide no exception for reasonable accommodation.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
If I had a dollar for every time I reminded a client that "no good deed goes unpunished," my childrens’ college funds would be flush and I’d be planning to retire early. The recent case of Terwilliger v. Howard Mem. Hosp. (W.D. Ark. 1/27/2011) reminds us that employees will often attempt to ensure that "no good
Court Rules Employee Does Not Necessarily Need to Comply with Employer’s Heightened FMLA Notice Procedure
The exercise of sound judgment and the uniform, mechanical application of employment policies are not always synonymous. Every FMLA-covered employer in Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana should be interested in the Fifth Circuit’s most recent FMLA case resulting from an employer’s uniform application of its internal FMLA reporting policy. In Saenz v. Harlington Medical Center, the Court
Texas Supreme Court Holds State Agencies Immune from FMLA Self-Care Lawsuits
In its first FMLA opinion, the Texas Supreme Court held that agencies of the State of Texas cannot be sued for FMLA violations arising out of an employee’s FMLA leave taken for his own serious health condition. In University of Texas at El Paso v. Herrera, the Supreme Court of Texas held that, unlike the family care provisions of
DOL Clarifies Definition of “Son or Daughter” under FMLA
The U.S. Department of Labor has "clarified" the reach of the FMLA by offering an interpretation of the meaning of "son or daughter" under the FMLA. Under the FMLA regulations, a "son or daughter" is defined as:
a biological, adopted, or foster child, a stephchild, a legal ward, or a child of a person standing in loco
FMLA Amended For Second Time in Two Years
President Obama signed the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act setting the budget for the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2010. The NDAA amends the Family & Medical Leave Act and is effective immediately. In relevant part, the NDAA amends the FMLA to extend its military leave entitlements. The FMLA is amended, in relevant part, as follows:
- Expands the exigency