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FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE

Summary

Section 202 of the Congressional Accountability Act (CAA) applies certain rights and protections of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) to covered employees. These rights and protections entitle "eligible" covered employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave in a 12 month period for certain family and medical reasons, with continued health insurance benefits. Upon returning to work from family and medical leave, employees will generally be restored to the same or equivalent position as the one they occupied prior to taking leave.

The CAA requires the Board to issue regulations that must ordinarily be the same as the substantive regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Labor ("Secretary") under the FMLA. In addition, the CAA and the Board's regulations contain a definition of "eligible employee" that differs from the definition in the FMLA and the Secretary's regulations.

This summary describes the Family and Medical Leave rights and protections applied by the CAA, followed by "questions and answers."

1. Coverage

To qualify as an eligible employee entitled to FMLA benefits, a covered employee must have been employed in any employing office --

  • for a total of 12 months of employment, and
  • for at least 1,250 hours of employment during the previous 12 months.
The 12 months of employment do not need to have been consecutive, or for a single employing office. If an employee was on the payroll for part of a week, the entire week counts towards the 12 months of employment.

The minimum of 1,250 hours of employment must have been worked during the 12 months immediately preceding the commencement of leave. If the employee worked for more than one employing office during that period, the hours of work will be added together. An employing office must be able to clearly demonstrate that an employee did not work 1,250 hours during the previous 12 months in order to claim that the employee is not "eligible" for FMLA leave.

Employment with covered offices prior to January 23, 1996, is included in determining employee eligibility.

The covered employees and employing offices subject generally to the CAA are described in the Introductory section.

2. Family and Medical Leave Entitlement

The Family and Medical Leave provisions of the CAA entitle an "eligible employee" to take a total of 12 weeks of unpaid leave within a 12-month period for specified family and medical reasons. Under certain conditions, either the employee or the employing office may elect to substitute accrued paid sick or vacation leave for the unpaid leave. The employing office must maintain group health coverage for the employee, and under most circumstances the employee must be restored to the same or an equivalent position upon returning from the leave.

3. Reasons for Leave

Eligible employees may take family and medical leave for any of the following reasons:

  • the birth and care of a newborn child of the employee;
  • placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care;
  • to care for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a "serious health condition;" or
  • because of a "serious health condition" that makes the employee unable to perform the functions of his/her position.
As described more fully in the Board's regulations, a "serious health condition" includes an illness, injury, impairment, or condition that involves either --
  • inpatient care (i.e., an overnight stay) in a medical care facility, including any period of incapacity or subsequent treatment; or
  • continuing treatment by a health care provider, including periods of incapacity in some instances.

4. Amount and Timing of Leave

a. Calculating the 12-month period.

An eligible employee is entitled to a total of 12 work weeks of family and medical leave during a 12-month period. An employing office may use any of the following methods to calculate the 12-month period in which the 12 weeks of leave entitlement occurs:

  • The calendar year.
  • Any fixed 12-month period, such as a fiscal year, a "leave year," or a year starting on the employee's anniversary date.
  • A rolling 12-month period measured backward from the date the employee uses family and medical leave.
  • The 12-month period measured forward from the date the employee first takes family and medical leave.

Whichever method the employing office chooses must be applied consistently to all employees of the employing office. If the employing office fails to select one of the above options, the option that is most beneficial to the employee will be used.

b. Intermittent and reduced leave schedule

Under some circumstances, employees may take family and medical leave intermittently (in separate blocks of time) or on a reduced leave schedule (reduced weekly or daily work schedule).

When leave is for the birth or placement of a child for adoption or foster care, use of leave intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule is subject to the agreement of the employing office. (The employing office's agreement is not required, however, for leave during which the mother has a serious health condition in connection with the birth of a child, or if the newborn child has a serious health condition).

Leave may be taken intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule whenever medically necessary to care for a seriously ill family member, or because the employee is seriously ill and unable to work.

If a covered employee properly requests intermittent leave, or leave on a reduced leave schedule, that is foreseeable based on planned medical treatment, the employer may require the employee to temporarily transfer to an alternative position with equivalent pay and benefits, that better accommodates recurring periods of leave.

c. Husband and wife employed by the same employing office

If a husband and wife entitled to family and medical leave are employed by the same employing office, the combined total number of workweeks of leave to which both are entitled may be limited to 12 workweeks during any 12-month period if such leave is taken for the birth or placement of a child or for the care of a sick parent.

d. Expiration of entitlement after birth or placement of a child

When leave is for the birth of a child or the placement of a child for adoption or foster care, the entitlement expires 12 months after the date of the birth or placement.

5. Paid and Unpaid Leave

Under certain circumstances, an eligible employee may choose, or the employing office may require, the substitution of accrued paid vacation, personal, family, or sick leave for some or all of the family and medical leave. The employing office is not required to provide paid sick leave in any situation where the employing office would not normally provide such leave.

In all circumstances it is the employing office's responsibility to designate leave as family and medical leave, and to give prompt notice of the designation to the employee, so that the leave (paid or unpaid) will be counted against the employee's 12-week leave entitlement.

Compensatory time off, if allowed pursuant to regulations of the Board, is not counted against the employee's entitlement for family and medical leave, regardless of the purpose for which the compensatory time off is used by the employee.

6. Maintenance of Health Benefits

While the covered employee is on family and medical leave, the employing office must maintain the same coverage under any group health plan for the duration of the leave, as if the employee had continued in employment. Any share of group health plan premiums that had been paid by the employee prior to taking family and medical leave must continue to be paid by the employee during the leave period, as if the employee were employed continuously during the leave period.

In some instances, the premiums paid by (or on behalf of) the employing office for maintaining group health coverage may be recovered from the employee, if the employee fails to return to work.

7. Reinstatement Rights

At the conclusion of family and medical leave, an employee is entitled to be restored to the same position the employee held when leave commenced, or to an equivalent position, with equivalent benefits, pay, and other terms and conditions of employment, that involves the same or substantially similar duties and responsibilities.

If the employee is no longer able to perform the essential functions of the position because of a physical or mental condition, the employee has no right to be restored to an alternative position. However, the employing office's obligations may be governed by rights and protections against discrimination on the basis of disability, as made applicable by the CAA (see the section on employment discrimination based on disability in this Manual.)

At the end of an employee's family and medical leave, benefits must be resumed in the same manner and at the same level as provided when the leave began, subject to any changes in benefit levels that may have occurred during the period of leave affecting the entire workplace. No employment benefit accrued prior to the date on which leave commenced is to be lost by the employee.

An employee has no greater right to reinstatement or to other benefits and conditions of employment than if the employee had been continuously employed during the leave period. For example, if an employing office would prove that an employee would have been laid off during the leave period, the employee would not be entitled to restoration. The employing office may, but is not required to, allow the employee to accrue seniority or employment benefits during family and medical leave.

Under certain limited circumstances where restoration to employment will cause substantial and grievous economic injury to its operations, an employing office may refuse to reinstate certain highly-paid "key" employees after using family and medical leave. In order to do so, the employing office must notify the employee of his/her status as a "key" employee when the employee gives notice of need for FMLA leave, and must satisfy other requirements. A"key" employee is a salaried eligible employee who is among the highest paid ten percent of employees within 75 miles of the work site.

8. Notifications and Certifications

a. Required notice to eligible employees

Employing offices are required to inform employees of their rights and responsibilities under family and medical leave provisions of the CAA. Written notices, with information as specified in the Board's regulations, must be provided to each employee no less often than the first time in each 6-month period that an employee gives notice of the need for family and medical leave. In addition, if an employing office provides written guidance to employees concerning employee benefits or leave rights, such as an employee handbook, information concerning both entitlements and employee obligations under section 202 of the CAA must be included in the handbook or other document.

b. Thirty-days advance notice to employing offices for "foreseeable" leave

If the need for family and medical leave is foreseeable, the employee is required to provide the employing office with at least 30 days advance notice. If 30 days notice is not practicable, the employee must give as much notice as is practicable.

An employing office may always waive family and medical leave notice requirements. However, if an employee fails to give 30 days notice for foreseeable leave with no reasonable excuse for the delay, the employing office may delay the taking of family and medical leave.

For the onset of the employee's family and medical leave to be delayed because of lack of required notice, it must be clear that the employee had actual notice of the family and medical leave notice requirements. (This condition would be satisfied by the employing office's proper posting (front and back) of the brochure prepared and distributed by the Office.)

c. Additional certifications and reports

Employing offices may also require employees to provide:

  • medical certification supporting the need for leave due to a serious health condition affecting the employee or an immediate family member;
  • second or third medical opinions (at the employer's expense) and periodic recertification; and
  • periodic reports during FMLA leave regarding the employee's status and intent to return to work.

9. Joint Employer and Primary Employer

Two or more employing offices may be considered "joint employers" where the employing offices exercise some control over the work or working conditions of an employee (e.g., if an employee does work that simultaneously benefits the employing offices), a "joint employment" relationship may exist. Under regulations of the Board, when employing offices employ a covered employee jointly, they may designate one to be the "primary employer." The primary employing office is responsible for giving required notices to the covered employee and providing family and medical leave. If such a designation is not made, the employee may elect which of the joint employing offices will be required to perform the responsibilities of a primary employer.

10. Special Rules for Employees of Certain Schools

Special rules apply to employees of local educational agencies and private elementary and secondary schools. Generally, these rules affect the taking of intermittent leave or leave on a reduced leave schedule, or leave near the end of an academic term, by instructional employees.

11. Intimidation or Reprisal

Intimidation, reprisal, or discrimination against a covered employee for opposing practices or for initiating or participating in a proceeding is prohibited, as described in the Introductory section.

12. Remedies

In case of a violation, several kinds of remedies may be available:

  • damages equal to the amount of wages, employment benefits, or other compensation denied or lost, or other actual monetary losses (and interest);
  • damages for an additional equal amount as liquidated damages, unless the employing office proves that the act or omission was in good faith and that the employing office had reasonable grounds for believing that the act or omission was not a violation; and
  • such equitable relief as may be appropriate, including employment, reinstatement, and promotion.

A description of the generally applicable remedies (attorneys fees, interest) and limitations (no civil penalties or punitive damages) is found in the Introductory section.

FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE

Questions and Answers

1. Q. Which employees are eligible to take family and medical leave?

A. An "eligible employee" means a covered employee who has been employed in any employing office for 12 months and for at least 1,250 hours of employment during the previous 12 months. The 12 months an employee must have been employed by any employing office do not need to be consecutive months. If an employee has worked for two or more employing offices at different times, the time worked will be added together to determine whether the employee has worked at least 1,250 hours during the previous 12 months. Also, if an employee worked for two employing offices at the same time, the hours of service will be added together to determine whether the minimum of 1,250 hours has been reached.

2. Q. Is family and medical leave paid or unpaid?

A. Family and medical leave may be unpaid leave. However, an eligible employee may choose, or an employing office may require an employee, to substitute accrued paid leave (such as sick or vacation leave) for family and medical leave.

3. Q. How much leave may an employee take?

A. An eligible employee is entitled to take up to 12 weeks of family and medical leave in a 12-month period. Each employing office is allowed to choose a uniform method by which to compute the 12-month period in which the 12 weeks of leave entitlement occurs. An employing office may choose any of the following methods to calculate the 12-month period:

  • The calendar year;
  • Any fixed 12-month period, such as a fiscal year, a year required by state law, or a year starting on the employee's anniversary date;
  • A rolling 12-month period measured backward from the date an employee uses family and medical leave (except that such measurement cannot extend back before August 5, 1993); or
  • The 12-month period measured forward from the date an employee first takes family and medical leave.

4. Q. What happens if the employing office does not make a choice as to which method it will choose to calculate the 12-month period?

A. If the employing office fails to select one of the above options, the option that is most beneficial to the employee will be used.

5. Q. How are family and medical leave rights and benefits protected when an employee works for more than one employing office?

A. Where two or more employing offices exercise some control over the work or working conditions of an employee, or where the employee performs work that simultaneously benefits two or more employing offices, or works for two or more employing offices during a workweek, a "joint employment relationship" may exist. When employing offices employ a covered employee jointly, they may designate one of themselves to be the primary employing office, and the other(s) to be the secondary office(s). The primary employing office is responsible for giving required notices to the covered employee, providing family and medical leave, and maintenance of health benefits.

6. Q. For what purposes does an employee have a right to take family and medical leave?

A. An eligible employee may take up to 12 workweeks of leave during any 12-month period for one or more of the following reasons:

  • For the birth of a son or daughter, and to care for the newborn child;
  • For placement with the employee of a son or daughter for adoption or foster care, and to care for that child;
  • To care for the employee's spouse, son, daughter, or parent with a serious health condition; and
  • Because of a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the functions of the employee's job.

7. Q. If family and medical leave is taken for the birth of a child, or for the placement of a child for adoption or foster care, when must the leave be concluded?

A. An employee's entitlement to leave for the birth or placement for adoption or foster care of a child expires at the end of the 12-month period beginning on the date of the birth or placement of that child, unless the employing office permits leave to be taken for a longer period. Any family and medical leave must be concluded within the one year period.

8. Q. May family and medical leave be taken in parts?

A. Family and medical leave may be taken "intermittently" or on a "reduced leave schedule" under certain circumstances. (This means taking leave in blocks of time, or by reducing the normal weekly or daily work schedule.) When leave is taken after the birth or placement of a child for adoption or for foster care, an employee may take leave intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule only if the employing office agrees. Leave may be taken intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule when medically necessary for planned and/or unanticipated medical treatment of a related serious health condition, or for recovery from treatment or recovery from a serious health condition. It may also be taken to provide care or psychological comfort to an immediate family member with a serious health condition. There is no limit on the size of the increment of leave when an employee takes intermittent leave or leave on a reduced leave schedule.

9. Q. May an employing office transfer an employee to an "alternative position" in order to accommodate intermittent leave or a reduced leave schedule?

A. When an employee requests intermittent leave or a reduced leave schedule that is foreseeable based on planned medical treatment, or where the employing office agrees to permit such leave for the birth or placement of a child, the employing office can transfer an employee temporarily to an available alternative position for which that employee is qualified if the position:

  • has equivalent pay and benefits; and
  • accommodates recurring periods of leave better than the regular employment position of the employee.

10. Q. Does an employing office have to maintain an employee's health insurance coverage during family and medical leave?

A. An employing office must maintain an employee's group health coverage for the duration of the leave at the level and under the same conditions as if the employee had remained continuously employed for the duration of the leave, provided the employee pays his or her share of the premiums. If the employee fails to return to work after family and medical leave, the employee may be required to repay the share of health coverage premiums paid by or for the employing office, under certain circumstances. The employing office is not required to allow accrual of any seniority or employment benefits during the period of family and medical leave.

An employing office must not discriminate against an employee using family and medical leave, and therefore must also provide an employee with the same benefits (e.g. life or disability insurance) normally provided to an employee in the same leave or part-time status.

11. Q. What are an employee's rights on returning to work from family and medical leave?

A. On returning to work from family and medical leave, an employee is entitled to be restored to the same position the employee held when leave commenced, or to an equivalent position with equivalent benefits, pay, and other terms and conditions of employment. An employee is entitled to such reinstatement even if the employee has been replaced or his or her position has been restructured to accommodate the employee's absence. If the employee is unable to perform an essential function of the position because of a physical or mental condition, the employee has no right to restoration to another position under section 202 of the CAA. However, the employing office's obligations may be governed by the rights and protections of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act, as made applicable by the CAA.

12. Q. With regard to restoration rights and employment benefits, are there any limitations on an employing office's obligations to reinstate an employee?

A. Yes. An employee has no greater right to restoration or to other benefits than if the employee had been continuously employed during the leave period. For example, if the employee would have been laid off if the employee had not taken leave, the employee need not be restored. In addition, under limited circumstances, an employing office does not have to restore certain highly compensated employees employed by the employing office within 75 miles of the employee's worksite, called "key employees."

13. Q. What is a "key employee"?

A. A "key employee" is a salaried eligible employee who is among the highest paid 10 percent of all the employees employed by the employing office within 75 miles of the employee's worksite. An employing office may deny restoration to a "key employee" only if: (1) it is necessary to prevent substantial and grievous economic injury to the operations of the employing office; (2) the employing office notifies the employee of its intention to deny the employee restoration (ordinarily an employee must be given notice at the time the employee requests leave of the employing office's intention to deny restoration); and (3) the employee elects not to return to work after receiving the employing office's notification.

14. Q. What notice does an employee have to give an employing office when taking family and medical leave?

A. When the need for family and medical leave is foreseeable, an employee must give the employing office at least 30 days advance notice of his or her intent to take leave. However, where circumstances make that impossible, an employee must give as much notice as is practicable. For medical leave, employees must schedule planned treatment so as not to unduly disrupt the employing office's operations.

15. Q. What recourse does an employing office have if an employee fails to comply with the Act's notice requirements?

A. An employing office may always waive family and medical leave notice requirements. However, if an employee fails to give 30 days notice for foreseeable leave with no reasonable excuse, the employing office may deny the taking of family and medical leave until at least 30 days after the date the employee provides notice. In all cases, for the onset of the employee's family and medical leave to be delayed because of lack of required notice, it must be clear that the employee had actual notice of the family and medical leave notice requirements. (This condition would be satisfied by the employing office's proper posting (front and back) of the brochure prepared and distributed by the Office.)

16. Q. What notice may an employing office require regarding an employee's intent to return to work?

A. An employing office may require periodic reports from an employee on family and medical leave regarding an employee's status and intent to return to work. If an employee gives unequivocal notice of intent not to return to work, the employing office's obligations to maintain health benefits and to restore the employee cease. However, these obligations continue if an employee indicates he or she may be unable to return to work, but expresses a continuing desire to do so. (The employing office's right to terminate health benefits is also subject to coverage continuation requirements of COBRA or 5 U.S.C. 8905a, whichever is applicable.)

17. Q. When must an employee provide medical certification to support a request for family and medical leave?

A. When an employee requests family and medical leave, the employing office may require medical certification from the health care provider supporting the need for leave due to a serious health condition affecting the employee or an immediate family member. When the need for leave is foreseeable, and at least 30 days notice has been provided, an employee should provide the requested medical certification before the leave begins. When this is not possible, an employee must provide the requested certification to the employing office within the time frame requested by the employing office (which must allow at least 15 calendar days after the employing office's request), unless it is not practicable under the particular circumstances to do so, despite an employee's diligent, good faith efforts.

18. Q. What can an employing office do if it questions the adequacy of a medical certification provided by an employee?

A. If an employing office has reason to doubt the validity of the medical certification provided by an employee, the employing office may require and pay for an opinion by a second health care provider. If the two opinions conflict, the employing office may require and pay for a third opinion from yet another health care provider approved jointly by the employing office and the employee. The opinion of the third health care provider is final and binding on the employee and the employing office.

OFFICE OF COMPLIANCE

The Congressional Accountability Act of 1995: Extension of Rights and Protections Under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993

NOTICE OF ADOPTION OF REGULATIONS AND SUBMISSION FOR APPROVAL AND ISSUANCE OF INTERIM REGULATIONS

SUMMARY:

The Board of Directors of the Office of Compliance, after considering comments to its general Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published on November 28, 1995 in the Congressional Record, has adopted, and is submitting for approval by the Congress, final regulations to implement section 202 of the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 ("CAA") (2 U.S.C. §§ 1301 et seq.), which applies certain rights and protections of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. The Board is also adopting and issuing such regulations as interim regulations for the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the employing offices of the instrumentalities effective on January 23, 1996 or on the dates upon which appropriate resolutions are passed, whichever is later. The interim regulations shall expire on April 15, 1996 or on the dates on which appropriate resolutions concerning the Board's final regulations are passed by the House and the Senate, respectively, whichever is earlier.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Executive Director, Office of Compliance, Room LA 200, John Adams Building, 110 Second Street, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20540-1999. Telephone (202) 724-9250.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background and Summary

The Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 ("CAA"), Pub. L. 104-1, 109 Stat. 3 (2 U.S.C. §§ 1301 et seq.), was enacted January 23, 1995. In general the CAA applies the rights and protections of eleven federal labor and employment laws to covered employees and employing offices within the legislative branch. In addition, the statute establishes the Office of Compliance ("Office") with a Board of Directors ("Board") as "an independent office within the legislative branch of the Federal Government." 2 U.S.C. § 1381(a).

Section 202 of the CAA (2 U.S.C. § 1312) applies the rights and protections of certain sections of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 ("FMLA") (29 U.S.C. §§ 2611 et seq.). The FMLA generally requires employers to permit covered employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave during a 12-month period for the birth of a child and to care for the newborn; placement of a child for adoption or foster care; care of a spouse, child, or parent with a serious health condition; or an employee's own serious health condition.

Sections 202(d) and 304 of the CAA (2 U.S.C. §§ 1312(d), 1384) direct the Board to issue regulations implementing section 202. Section 202(d)(2) further directs the Board to issue substantive regulations that "shall be the same as substantive regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Labor to implement the statutory provisions referred to in subsection (a) [of section 202] except insofar as the Board may determine, for good cause shown and stated together with the regulation, that a modification of such regulations would be more effective for the implementation of the rights and protections under this section."

On September 28, 1995, the Board issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ("ANPR") soliciting comments from interested parties in order to obtain information and participation early in the rulemaking process. 141 Cong. Rec. S14542 (daily ed., Sept. 28, 1995). Based on the comments received on the ANPR and consultations with interested parties, the Board published in the Congressional Record a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ("NPR") on November 28, 1995. 141 Cong. Rec. S17627 - S17652 (daily ed., Nov. 28, 1995). In response to the NPR, the Board received 5 written comments, of which four were from offices of the Congress and congressional instrumentalities and one was from a labor organization. The comments included specific recommendations to either supplement or modify regulations proposed in the NPR, or to clarify how certain regulations would apply in fact-specific instances. In addition, the Office has sought consultations with the Department of Labor regarding the proposed regulations, pursuant to section 304(g) of the CAA.

After full consideration of the comments received, the Board has adopted and is submitting these regulations for approval by the Congress. Moreover, pursuant to sections 411 and 304 of the CAA, the Board is adopting and issuing such regulations as interim regulations for the House, the Senate, and the employing offices of the instrumentalities effective on January 23, 1996 or on the dates upon which appropriate resolutions are passed, whichever is later. The interim regulations shall expire on April 15, 1996 or on the dates on which appropriate resolutions concerning the Board's final regulations are passed by the House and the Senate, respectively, whichever is earlier.

I. Summary and Board Consideration of Comments

A. Eligibility for Family and Medical Leave

Under section 202(a)(2)(B) of the CAA, an "eligible employee" is defined as a covered employee who has been employed in "any employing office for 12 months and for at least 1,250 hours of employment during the previous 12 months." 2 U.S.C. § 1312(a)(2)(B). Section 825.110 of the Board's proposed regulations provided that, if an employee worked for two or more employing offices, the time worked would be aggregated to determine whether it equals 12 months, and the hours of service would be aggregated to determine whether the minimum of 1,250 hours has been reached.

As explained in the NPR, the statutory phrase "in any employing office" is ambiguous when considered in isolation; it could mean in any one employing office, or it could mean that months and hours may be aggregated from every employing office where an employee worked. The Board explained in the NPR that the better reading of the CAA language is the latter one, and the Board adheres to that view.

The definition of "eligible employee" in the FMLA states explicitly that the required 12 months must have been served with "the employer with respect to whom leave is requested," and that the requisite 1,250 hours must also have been served with "such employer." However, in the CAA, Congress substituted the phrase "any employing office" in place of the FMLA's specific references to the employer from whom leave is requested. This substitution suggests that eligibility should be determined on the basis of months and hours worked for "any employing office," including offices other than just the one from which leave is requested. This interpretation, in fact, conforms to the interpretation stated in the section-by-section analysis that the principal Senate sponsors of the CAA placed into the Congressional Record during Senate consideration of this legislation. 141 Cong. Rec. S623 (daily ed., Jan. 9, 1995) (section-by-section analysis).

One commenter stated that, in its view, each employing office is a separate, independent employer and that employees therefore should not be able to aggregate the months and hours worked for more than one employing office to establish or maintain FMLA eligibility. The commenter acknowledged that the Board's proposed regulations do not adopt that position and urged that, at a minimum, the Board should consider the Senate to be a separate employer from the other entities covered by the CAA. The commenter argued that, in its view, this alternative position is supported by the fact that section 304(a)(2) of the CAA requires the Board to issue three separate bodies of regulations, including one body of regulations that shall apply to the Senate and employees of the Senate. Therefore, according to the commenter, the Board's regulations for the Senate must define "employing office" to include only Senate offices and should not allow months and hours worked at employing offices outside of the Senate to be considered in determining employee eligibility for family and medical leave.

But the definition of "eligible employee" in the CAA uses the term "employing office," not the term "employer," and the issue is whether this definition in the CAA requires aggregation of months and hours worked in "any employing office." Whether different employing offices are separate, independent "employers," and whether the Senate is a separate "employer," begs resolution of this question.

Moreover, the provision of the CAA cited by the commenter, entitled "Rulemaking procedure," is part of the CAA section that establishes the procedures for adoption, approval, and issuance of the Board's substantive regulations. 2 U.S.C. § 1384(a)(2). The cited provision requires the Board to divide its substantive regulations into three parts -- for the Senate, for the House of Representatives, and for other employing offices -- in order to enable the Office of Compliance, and to enable the Senate and the House themselves, to exercise their respective statutorily assigned roles in the proposal, adoption, and approval of regulations. See 2 U.S.C. § 1384(a)(2). These procedural provisions of the CAA do not alter the meaning of substantive provisions of the CAA; nor do they specifically prevent the Board's regulations from including hours and months worked with employing offices outside of the Senate in defining "eligible employee" for purposes of determining family and medical leave eligibility for Senate employees.

Finally, the history of the Senate's consideration of congressional accountability legislation shows that the position advocated by the commenter was considered by the Senate and was not adopted. The version of the Congressional Accountability Act reported by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee in 1994 (H.R. 4822, 103d Cong., 2d Sess., as reported, S. Rep. No. 397, 103d Cong., 2d Sess., 17 (Oct. 3, 1994)) provided that a Senate employee would be eligible for family and medical leave after 12 months of non-temporary employment by "any employing office of the Senate." The CAA, as enacted a few months later, provides that eligibility of all covered employees, including Senate employees, depends on the months and hours worked "in any employing office" -- without the limiting phrase "of the Senate." Furthermore, while the 1994 Senate Committee report explained that an eligible "Senate employee" would retain FMLA eligibility "irrespective of whether he or she changes employing offices within the Senate," the section-by-section analysis published in the Congressional Record in 1995, when the CAA was under consideration in the Senate, explained that an eligible "covered employee" would retain FMLA eligibility "irrespective of whether he or she changes employing offices." Compare S. Rep. No. 397, at 17, with 141 Cong. Rec. S623 (daily ed. Jan. 9, 1995) (section-by-section analysis). Unlike the explanation of the earlier Senate bill, the explanation of the CAA was not limited to Senate employees and did not limit employees' accrual and maintenance of leave eligibility to employment "within the Senate." In short, the commenter's suggestion is not consistent with the Senate's own deliberative history.

B. Joint Employers and Designation of Primary Employer

The Secretary's regulations provide that, whenever an employee is employed jointly by more than one employer, the "primary" employer is solely responsible for giving required notices, providing FMLA leave, and maintaining health benefits, and is "primarily" responsible for job restoration. 29 C.F.R. § 825.106(c). Comments on the ANPR indicated that, in the context of congressional employment, there may not always be a primary employer, and joint employers should be authorized to designate one employing office to be responsible for compliance with FMLA obligations. The Board accepted this view and, in section 825.106(c) of the regulations, the Board proposed to adopt such a provision.

One commenter now asks for clarification as to whether employing offices that are joint employers may always designate which of them will be responsible for FMLA compliance, or whether this power exists only when there is no "primary" employer. The commenter also stated that section 825.106(e), which describes the secondary employer's responsibility for job restoration, should apply only in the case of detailees.

The Board agrees that the proposed regulations should be clarified. Section 826.106, as adopted by the Board, provides that, in any instance of joint employment, the employing offices may designate which office shall be the primary employer. Such a designation must be made in writing to the employee. If such a designation is not made, the employee may elect which of the joint employing offices will be required to perform certain responsibilities of a primary employer. This approach should afford administrative flexibility to employing offices, eliminate uncertainty and fact-specific disputes, and protect the rights of eligible employees.. The Board finds good cause under section 202(d)(2) to make these modifications to the Secretary's regulations, because joint employment without a clear primary employer appears relatively common in congressional employment (whereas it is not in the private sector).

Section 825.106(e) of the proposed regulations assigned to the primary employer "primary" responsibility for job restoration, but also assigned the secondary employer responsibility for accepting an employee who returns from FMLA leave. The commenter stated that this subsection "appears to be applicable" only in the situation where a detailee is supplied to an employing office. The commenter further urged that certain language from the Secretary's regulations be restored to the Board's regulations to limit the circumstances under which a secondary employer must accept an employee returning from FMLA leave.

Several aspects of the Secretary's regulations set forth at 29 C.F.R. § 826.106(e) are applicable only to temporary and leasing agencies. However, temporary and leasing agencies and their employees are not covered by the CAA, and there is not a precise analogy between inter-office details of covered employees and placement of employees by temporary or leasing agencies. Therefore, the Board omitted from the proposed regulations certain clauses that refer specifically to temporary and leasing agencies, and the Board did not otherwise modify the Secretary's regulations to make them applicable to detailees. However, the Board sought to retain in subsection (e) the general principles regarding job restoration.
The final regulations attempt to accommodate the commenter's concerns in some respects. Certain language from the Secretary's regulations that was retained in the Board's proposed regulations, but that makes sense only in the context of temporary or leasing agencies, has now been omitted, and the limits on job restoration responsibilities are stated more explicitly. However, the Board has retained the general requirement of job restoration in situations of joint employment, as originally promulgated in the Secretary's regulations.

Furthermore, in section 825.106(b) of its proposed regulations, the Board identified inter-office details as an example where joint employment will ordinarily be found. This example had been inserted as a replacement for a provision in the Secretary's regulations which identified temporary and leasing agencies as such an example. However, as noted above, the Board does not believe that a precise analogy exists between these two situations; accordingly, the reference to detailees is omitted from the final regulations.

C. Designation of Leave Year by Joint Employers.

Based on the Secretary's regulations, the Board proposed in section 825.200(b) that an employing office be permitted to choose one of several methods for determining an eligible employee's "leave year" -- i.e., the 12-month period within which a particular employee's 12 weeks of leave may be taken. The Board also endorsed two methods that had been suggested by commenters by which joint employing offices might choose a "leave year" for their joint employees.

A commenter noted that, although the Board has allowed joint employing offices to choose a leave year for joint employees, section 825.200(d)(1) requires that, if an employing office selects a leave year method, the office must apply the method consistently and uniformly to all of its employees. The commenter suggested that the Board should expressly state an exception to this rule where joint employers select a leave year for their joint employees that is different from the leave year that any of the joint employing offices selects for its non-joint employees.

This issue is addressed in the Board's regulations, albeit in a somewhat different manner from that suggested by the commenter. As discussed above, the Board's regulations authorize employing offices to designate a primary employer in all instances of joint employment. The Board has also provided in section 825.200(g) of the regulations that, if the primary employer has chosen a leave year under the regulations, the primary employer must apply the leave year uniformly to the joint employee as well as to the primary employer's non-joint employees. If the joint employing offices do not designate a primary employer, then the employee may select one of the joint employing offices to be the primary employer for the purpose of the application of its leave year under applicable regulations. Under applicable rules in paragraph (e), if the selected employing office has not chosen a leave year option, the employee may use any of the allowable leave year options.

Finally, a commenter has suggested that, upon an employee's transfer to or from joint employment, if the applicable leave year changes, the procedures under section 825.200(d)(1) of the Board's regulations should be made applicable. That section provides that, when an employing office changes to a new leave year, it must provide 60 days' notice to all employees. However, section 825.200(d)(1) of the Board's regulations would not apply where an individual employee changes to or from being jointly employed or when a primary employer is designated. Such changes are analogous to a transfer from one employing office to another, and should not trigger the requirements of section 825.200(d)(1).

D. Minimally Paid Leave in the Senate

In response to the ANPR, a commenter advised the Board that the Senate currently provides "minimally paid" FMLA leave rather than unpaid leave. In the NPR, the Board stated that granting minimally paid leave in lieu of unpaid leave would not prevent the leave from being considered FMLA-qualifying leave and, therefore, the situation of minimally paid leave did not need to be addressed in the Board's regulations.

The commenter has responded that Senate minimally paid leave needs to be specifically addressed and treated as unpaid FMLA leave in order for an employing office to be able to recover its share of health care insurance premiums from an employee when such recovery would be appropriate if the employee were on unpaid FMLA leave. Similarly, the commenter indicated that, where an employee or employing office may substitute paid leave for unpaid FMLA leave, a Senate employee or employing office should be entitled to substitute paid leave for minimally paid leave. In addition, the commenter asserted that minimally paid leave should also be treated as unpaid leave in calculating who is a "key employee" under section 825.217(c) of the Board's regulations.

The commenter has provided reasons why it may matter to an employing office whether minimally paid leave is treated as paid leave or as unpaid leave within the meaning of the regulations. But the good cause needed to justify a change in the regulations under section 202(d) of the CAA does not exist simply because regulations may, as the commenter suggests, impose an undesirable expense or inflexibility on employing offices. Thus, the commenter has not offered a good cause justification for changing the Secretary's regulations.

However, the Board fully realizes that there may be some legal impediment to providing unpaid leave in the Senate of which the Board is not aware. If so, a petition to amend these regulations under section 304(f) of the CAA (2 U.S.C.§ 1384(f)) might be appropriate.

E. Health Benefits

The Secretary's regulations make a number of references to title X of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986, which requires continuation coverage under group health plans (29 U.S.C. §§ 1161-1168) ("COBRA"). However, COBRA does not apply to government insurance plans. Continuation coverage similar to that under COBRA was enacted for federal employees in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Amendments Act of 1988, codified at 5 U.S.C. § 8905a. The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, which includes the continuation coverage provided by the 1988 Act, is available to all federal employees, including congressional employees. In some provisions of the proposed regulations, the Board retained references to COBRA and added phrases like "or by other applicable law," and in other provisions the Board referred to "applicable requirements of law" without reference to COBRA.

One commenter stated that references to COBRA should remain and that references to "other applicable laws" should not be added. The commenter explained that the Secretary's regulations accurately delineate when an employer's obligations to maintain health benefits during leave cease under the FMLA. Another commenter stated that it is the commenter's understanding that COBRA applies to congressional employees, and recommended that the Board's regulations be consistent with respect to references to COBRA. A third commenter asked for clarification of the applicability of COBRA. A commenter also requested that section 825.211 of the Secretary's regulations, which provides special rules for multi-employer health plans, be included in the Board's regulations.
The Board finds good cause under section 202(d) of the CAA to refer in its regulations to 5 U.S.C. § 8905a, as well as to COBRA. See sections 825.209(f), 825.210(c)(2), 825.309(b), and 825.700(a) of the Board's regulations. If the regulations referred only to COBRA, which applies to few if any employing offices, the intent of the provisions as originally promulgated by Secretary (i.e., to delineate an employer's obligations to maintain health benefits) would be negated.

The one exception is section 825.213(e) of the Board's regulations. The Secretary's regulation limits premiums that a self-insured employer may recover from an employee who does not return from FMLA leave. The subsection allows recovery of premiums "as would be calculated under COBRA" (excluding the 2 % administration fee). Because 5 U.S.C. § 8905a does not provide for self-insurance by individual Government employing agencies or offices, and since the regulation uses the subjunctive "would be calculated under COBRA," it is appropriate to reference only COBRA in this section of the regulations.

The Board is not currently aware of any provisions other than 5 U.S.C. § 8905a that require COBRA-like continuation coverage for government group health plans to which COBRA does not apply. However, if any such provision does exist that might apply to any employing office, a petition to amend these regulations under section 304(f) of the CAA (2 U.S.C. § 1384(f)) might be appropriate.

Finally, the Board agrees with the commenter's suggestion that 29 C.F.R. § 825.211 of the Secretary's regulations be included in the Board's regulations, in order to cover potential future situations where an employing office might contribute to a multi-employer health plan.

F. Whether Special Rules Apply to House Page School

The proposed regulations included special rules that are applicable only to certain kinds of educational institutions. Two commenters stated that the Board's regulations should state explicitly that the special rules apply to the House Page School. However, the commenters have not provided any, much less sufficient, justification for finding good cause to modify the Secretary's regulation under section 202(d) of the CAA. In fact, the commenters do not appear to be asking for a change in the regulation, but rather for a clarification that the House Page School is within its scope. But they have not provided the Board with any factual or legal materials upon which such an interpretive judgment could be based. Moreover, they have not identified any authority in the CAA that would allow the Board to make such an interpretive judgment in the context of a rulemaking proceeding. Indeed, as explained in detail in the preamble to the Board's final regulations implementing the rights and protections of the Fair Labor Standards Act, it would be improper for the Board to do so.

G. Notice Posting and Recordkeeping

In the NPR, the Board did not propose regulations specifying notice posting or recordkeeping requirements for employing offices. The Board also declined to propose regulations stating that, in determining whether the requisite hours have been worked for eligibility, the burden of proof would lie with an employing office that does not keep adequate time records.

A commenter argued that: (1) enforcement of the law will be greatly enhanced by requiring notice posting and recordkeeping under the FMLA, and (2) it is a fair enforcement mechanism for the burden of proof to lie with the employer when the records maintained by the employer are inadequate.

The Board thoroughly considered these points in preparing the NPR. The Board sees no reason to alter its previous conclusions.

H. Prospective Application of Reductions in FMLA Benefits

One commenter noted that the Senate and House currently have more generous FMLA policies than those mandated by the Board's proposed regulations. The commenter stated that, where an employing office chooses to reduce FMLA benefits as allowed by the new regulations, the Board's regulations need to clarify that any policy changes may only be applied prospectively.

The Board disagrees. The Board's regulations may apply only to FMLA rights under the CAA; they may not apply to FMLA rights under pre-existing statutory and regulatory regimes. Disputes under such pre-existing regimes, even if they are raised after January 23, 1996, are not governed by these regulations and should be directed to the authorities previously responsible for such rules.

I. Miscellaneous Drafting Issues

1. Clarification of the 12 months during which 1,250 hours of service must have occurred.

In defining which covered employee is an "eligible employee", section 825.110(a) of the proposed regulations quoted from the definition of "eligible employee" set forth in section 202(a)(2)(B) of the CAA (2 U.S.C. § 1312(a)(2)(B)). This definition includes a requirement of "at least 1,250 hours of employment during the previous 12 months."

A commenter stated that this wording is ambiguous. The commenter suggested the addition of language from the corresponding regulation promulgated by the Secretary: "1,250 hours of service during the 12-month period immediately preceding the commencement of the leave."

The Board agrees that the use of the phrase "immediately preceding" may add some additional precision to the regulation. However, the CAA uses the term "previous 12 months," while the FMLA uses the term "previous 12-month period", 29 U.S.C. 2611(2)(A)(ii). Accordingly, a new second sentence has been added to section 825.110(d) to state that the "previous 12 months" means "the 12 months immediately preceding the commencement of the leave.

2. References to "State law," "federal law," and "applicable law"

In several instances, the Secretary's regulations refer to applicable State law, and in some instances the regulations refer to applicable federal or State (or sometimes local) law. The Board's proposed regulations omitted most references to State law but retained certain references where appropriate. In some instances, the proposed regulations removed references to applicable federal or State law, and replaced them with references to applicable law.

One commenter stated agreement with the Board's omission of references to State laws, because State laws do not apply to the Senate, but objected to the Board's omission of the word "federal" before reference to some laws, on the ground that it might lead to confusion. The commenter stated in one instance that regulations should refer only to "applicable federal wage payment laws," not to "applicable wage payment or other laws," because only those federal laws specifically made applicable to the Senate by resolution or statute are applicable to the Senate. A commenter also suggested that one reference to State law that the Board had retained in the proposed regulations should be omitted.

Several regulatory provisions promulgated by the Secretary referring to State laws that are clearly inapplicable to employing offices were omitted from the Board's proposed regulations. However, the proposed regulation retained a reference in section 825.200(b)(2) to leave years required by State law. This reference is omitted from the final regulations.

The proposed regulations also retained references to State law that may appropriately apply to FMLA rights and protections as made applicable by the CAA. These include, for example, State laws on certification of medical care providers, State laws on approval of foster care, and State laws determining who is a spouse. These references are retained in the final regulations.

In a few instances where the Secretary's regulations referred to applicable federal or State law, the Board retained the reference to applicable law, but omitted the mention of "federal" or "State." The Board is not in a position to determine whether any State law might be applicable in some instances with respect to these provisions. Nor should these provisions cause confusion with respect to the possibility of State law applying. The phrase "applicable law" certainly does not cause State law to apply where it otherwise would not; the phrase simply means that, if a law does apply to the employing office, such a law is referenced by the regulations. Accordingly, the references to applicable laws and requirements in sections 825.213(f) and 825.301(e) of the Board's regulations are adopted as proposed.

Section 824.204(b) of the Secretary's regulations refers to applicable federal law and State law, and the provision as proposed by the Board retained the reference to "federal" but not "State" law. To be consistent with the foregoing principles, section 824.204(b) of the Board's regulations as adopted includes a reference to applicable law, without limiting the reference to "federal" law.

3. Definitions

A commenter suggested that a definition of COBRA be added to the Board's regulations. Such a definition is provided in the Secretary's regulations, and has been added to section 825.800 of the Board's regulations.

A definition of "employ" is also included in the final regulations, meaning "to suffer or permit to work." This definition is contained in the Secretary's regulations, but was omitted from the Board's proposed regulations. This definition is established under the Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. § 203(g), and is incorporated by reference into the FMLA, 29 U.S.C. § 2611(3).

4. Cross references to regulations and interpretations under the Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA") and the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA")

The Secretary's regulations under the FMLA contain several cross references to the Secretary's regulations implementing or interpreting the Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA"). Where the Board has adopted applicable FLSA regulations under the CAA, those Board regulations are now referenced in the Board's FMLA regulations. See, e.g., sections 825.206, 825.217(b) of the Board's regulations.

However, a number of the Secretary's interpretive bulletins that interpret the FLSA, which the Board has not adopted, are cross referenced in the Secretary's regulations under the FMLA. In these instances, the subject of the referenced interpretation is summarized in the Board's FMLA regulations in place of the cross reference. This same approach is used where the Secretary's regulations under the FMLA contain cross references to regulations by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission interpreting the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA"), as the Board has not adopted these regulations. See sections 825.110(c), 825.113(c)(2), 825.115, 825.205, 825.800 of the Board's regulations.

5. Corrections and clarifications

Commenters suggested a number of technical corrections and clarifications in the proposed regulations. For example, a commenter pointed out that section 825.200(b)(4) of the Secretary's regulations was inadvertently omitted from the Board's proposed regulations. This subparagraph describes the fourth optional method that an employing office may choose for determining leave years, sometimes called the rolling looking-backwards method. This subparagraph is restored in the final regulation.

A commenter suggested that section 825.213(a) of the proposed regulations be amended to clarify that references to an employing office's share of health plan premiums, which may be recovered under certain circumstances, encompasses monies paid out of a Senate fund, as opposed to from appropriations of the employing office. The proposed regulations, like the Secretary's regulations, authorized the employing office to "recover its share" of the premiums. In light of the centralized manner in which the payment of health care insurance premiums is handled in the government, it is appropriate to expressly accommodate the situation where premiums may be paid and recovered on behalf of an employing office rather than by the employing office itself.

A number of other typographical, grammatical, and similar corrections were suggested. The Board has made corrections as appropriate. However, by making these changes, the Board does not intend a substantive difference between these sections and those of the Secretary from which they are derived. Moreover, such changes, in and of themselves, are not intended to constitute an interpretation of the regulation or of the statutory provisions of the CAA upon which they are based.

K. Board Determination on Regulations "Required" to Be Issued In Connection with Section 411

Section 411 of the CAA provides in pertinent part that "if the Board has not issued a regulation on a matter for which [the CAA] requires a regulation to be issued the hearing officer, Board, or court, as the case may be, shall apply, to the extent necessary and appropriate, the most relevant substantive executive agency regulation promulgated to implement the statutory provision at issue." 2 U.S.C. § 1411. By its own terms, this provision comes into play only where it is determined that the Board has not issued a regulation that is required by the CAA. Thus, before a Department of Labor regulation can be invoked, an adjudicator must make a threshold determination that the regulation concerns a matter as to which the Board was obligated under the CAA to issue a regulation.

Part 825 of 29 C.F.R. contains all the regulations the Secretary of Labor issued to implement the FMLA. As noted in the NPR, several of those regulations are not legally "required" to be issued as CAA regulations because the underlying FMLA provisions were not made applicable under the CAA. Additionally, the Board has determined that it has good cause under section 202(d) of the CAA not to issue other of the Secretary's regulations because, for example, they have no applicability to legislative branch employment. Other than the comments discussed above, the commenters did not dispute the inapplicability of those portions of 29 C.F.R. part 825.

The Board has carefully reviewed the entire corpus of the Secretary's regulations, has sought comment on its proposal concerning the regulations that it should (and should not) adopt, and has considered those comments in formulating its final rules. Based on this review and consideration, and in order to prevent wasteful litigation, the Board has included a declaration in these regulations that the Board has issued all the regulations that it is "required" to promulgate to implement the statutory provisions of the FMLA that are made applicable to the legislative branch by the CAA.

III. ADOPTION OF PROPOSED RULES AS FINAL REGULATIONS UNDER SECTION 304(b)(3) AND AS INTERIM REGULATIONS

Having considered the public comments to the proposed rules, the Board pursuant to section 304(b)(3) and (4) of the CAA is adopting these final regulations and transmitting them to the House of Representatives and the Senate with recommendations as to the method of approval by each body under section 304(c). However, the rapidly approaching effective date of the CAA's implementation necessitates that the Board take further action with respect to these regulations. For the reasons explained below, the Board is also today adopting and issuing these rules as interim regulations that will be effective as of January 23, 1996 or the time upon which appropriate resolutions of approval of these interim regulations are passed by the House and/or the Senate, whichever is later. These interim regulations will remain in effect until the earlier of April 15, 1996 or the dates upon which the House and Senate complete their respective consideration of the final regulations that the Board is herein adopting.

The Board finds that it is necessary and appropriate to adopt such interim regulations and that there is "good cause" for making them effective as of the later of January 23, 1996, or the time upon which appropriate resolutions of approval of them are passed by the House and the Senate. In the absence of the issuance of such interim regulations, covered employees, employing offices, and the Office of Compliance staff itself would be forced to operate in regulatory uncertainty. While section 411 of the CAA provides that, "if the Board has not issued a regulation on a matter for which this Act requires a regulation to be issued, the hearing officer, Board, or court, as the case may be, shall apply, to the extent necessary and appropriate, the most relevant substantive executive agency regulation promulgated to implement the statutory provision at issue in the proceeding," covered employees, employing offices and the Office of Compliance staff might not know what regulation, if any, would be found applicable in particular circumstances absent the procedures suggested here. The resulting confusion and uncertainty on the part of covered employees and employing offices would be contrary to the purposes and objectives of the CAA, as well as to the interests of those whom it protects and regulates. Moreover, since the House and the Senate will likely act on the Board's final regulations within a short period of time, covered employees and employing offices would have to devote considerable attention and resources to learning, understanding, and complying with a whole set of default regulations that would then have no future application. These interim regulations prevent such a waste of resources.

The Board's authority to issue such interim regulations derives from sections 411 and 304 of the CAA. Section 411 gives the Board authority to determine whether, in the absence of the issuance of a final regulation by the Board, it is necessary and appropriate to apply the substantive regulations of the executive branch in implementing the provisions of the CAA. Section 304(a) of the CAA in turn authorizes the Board to issue substantive regulations to implement the Act. Moreover, section 304(b) of the CAA instructs that the Board shall adopt substantive regulations "in accordance with the principles and procedures set forth in section 553 of title 5, United States Code," which have in turn traditionally been construed by courts to allow an agency to issue "interim" rules where the failure to have rules in place in a timely manner would frustrate the effective operation of a federal statute. See, e.g., Philadelphia Citizens in Action v. Schweiker, 669 F.2d 877 (3d Cir. 1982). As noted above, in the absence of the Board's adoption and issuance of these interim rules, such a frustration of the effective operation of the CAA would occur here.

In so interpreting its authority, the Board recognizes that in section 304 of the CAA, Congress specified certain procedures that the Board must follow in issuing substantive regulations. In section 304(b), Congress said that, except as specified in section 304(e), the Board must follow certain notice and comment and other procedures. The interim regulations in fact have been subject to such notice and comment and such other procedures of section 304(b).

In issuing these interim regulations, the Board also recognizes that section 304(c) specifies certain procedures that the House and the Senate are to follow in approving the Board's regulations. The Board is of the view that the essence of section 304(c)'s requirements are satisfied by making the effectiveness of these interim regulations conditional on the passage of appropriate resolutions of approval by the House and/or the Senate. Moreover, section 304(c) appears to be designed primarily for (and applicable to) final regulations of the Board, which these interim regulations are not. In short, section 304(c)'s procedures should not be understood to prevent the issuance of interim regulations that are necessary for the effective implementation of the CAA.

Indeed, the promulgation of these interim regulations clearly conforms to the spirit of section 304(c) and, in fact promotes its proper operation. As noted above, the interim regulations shall become effective only upon the passage of appropriate resolutions of approval, which is what section 304(c) contemplates. Moreover, these interim regulations allow more considered deliberation by the House and the Senate of the Board's final regulations under section 304(c).

The House has in fact already signaled its approval of such interim regulations both for itself and for the instrumentalities. On December 19, 1995, the House adopted H. Res. 311 and H. Con. Res. 123, which approve "on a provisional basis" regulations "issued by the Office of Compliance before January 23, 1996." The Board believes these resolutions are sufficient to make these interim regulations effective for the House on January 23, 1996, though the House might want to pass new resolutions of approval in response to this pronouncement of the Board.

To the Board's knowledge, the Senate has not yet acted on H. Con. Res. 123, nor has it passed a counterpart to H. Res. 311 that would cover employing offices and employees of the Senate. As stated herein, it must do so if these interim regulations are to apply to the Senate and the other employing offices of the instrumentalities (and to prevent the default rules of the executive branch from applying as of January 23, 1996).

IV. METHOD OF APPROVAL

The Board received no comments on the method of approval for these regulations. Therefore, the Board continues to recommend that (1) the version of the regulations that shall apply to the Senate and employees of the Senate should be approved by the Senate by resolution; (2) the version of the regulations that shall apply to the House of Representatives and employees of the House of Representatives should be approved by the House of Representatives by resolution; and (3) the version of the regulations that shall apply to other covered employees and employing offices should be approved by the Congress by concurrent resolution.

With respect to the interim version of these regulations, the Board recommends that the Senate approve them by resolution insofar as they apply to the Senate and employees of the Senate. In addition, the Board recommends that the Senate approve them by concurrent resolution insofar as they apply to other covered employees and employing offices. It is noted that the House has expressed its approval of the regulations insofar as they apply to the House and its employees through its passage of H. Res. 311 on December 19, 1995. The House also expressed its approval of the regulations insofar as they apply to other employing offices through passage of H. Con. Res. 123 on the same date; this concurrent resolution is pending before the Senate.

PART 825 -- FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE

§825.1 Purpose and scope

§825.2 Duration of interim regulations


SUBPART A - What is the Family and Medical Leave Act, and
to Whom Does it Apply under the Congressional Accountability Act?


§825.100 What is the Family and Medical Leave Act?

§825.101What is the purpose of the FMLA?

§825.102 When are the FMLA and the CAA effective for covered employees and employing offices?

§825.103How does the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA, affect leave in progress on, or taken before, the effective date of the CAA?

§825.104 What employing offices are covered by the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA?

§825.105[Reserved]

§825.106 How is "joint employment" treated under the FMLA as made applicable by the CAA?

§825.107 - 825.109 [Reserved]

§825.110 Which employees are "eligible" to take FMLA leave under these regulations?

§825.111 [Reserved]

§825.112 Under what kinds of circumstances are employing offices required to grant family or medical leave?

§825.113 What do "spouse," "parent," and "son or daughter" mean for purposes of an employee qualifying to take FMLA leave?

§825.114 What is a "serious health condition" entitling an employee to FMLA leave?

§825.115 What does it mean that "the employee is unable to perform the functions of the position of the employee"?

§825.116 What does it mean that an employee is "needed to care for" a family member?

§825.117 For an employee seeking intermittent FMLA leave or leave on a reduced leave schedule, what is meant by "the medical necessity for" such leave?

§825.118 What is a "health care provider"?

SUBPART B - What Leave Is an Employee Entitled to Take
under the Family and Medical Leave Act, as Made Applicable by the Congressional Accountability Act?

§825.200 How much leave may an employee take?

§825.201 If leave is taken for the birth of a child, or for placement of a child for adoption or foster care, when must the leave be concluded?

§825.202 How much leave may a husband and wife take if they are employed by the same employing office?

§825.203 Does FMLA leave have to be taken all at once, or can it be taken in parts?

§825.204 May an employing office transfer an employee to an "alternative position" in order to accommodate intermittent leave or a reduced leave schedule?

§825.205 How does one determine the amount of leave used where an employee takes leave intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule?

§825.206 May an employing office deduct hourly amounts from an employee's salary, when providing unpaid leave under FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA, without affecting the employee's qualification for exemption as an executive, administrative, or professional employee, or when utilizing the fluctuating workweek method for payment of overtime, under the Fair Labor Standards Act?

§825.207 Is FMLA leave paid or unpaid?

§825.208 Under what circumstances may an employing office designate leave, paid or unpaid, as FMLA leave and, as a result, enable leave to be counted against the employee's total FMLA leave entitlement?

§825.209 Is an employee entitled to benefits while using FMLA leave?

§825.210 How may employees on FMLA leave pay their share of group health benefit premiums?

§825.211 What special health benefits maintenance rules apply to multi-employer health plans?

§825.212 What are the consequences of an employee's failure to make timely health plan premium payments?

§825.213 May an employing office recover costs it incurred for maintaining "group health plan" or other non-health benefits coverage during FMLA leave?

§825.214 What are an employee's rights on returning to work from FMLA leave?

§825.215 What is an equivalent position?

§825.216 Are there any limitations on an employing office's obligation to reinstate an employee?

§825.217 What is a "key employee"?

§825.218 What does "substantial and grievous economic injury" mean?

§825.219 What are the rights of a key employee?

§825.220 How are employees protected who request leave or otherwise assert FMLA rights?


SUBPART C -- How do Employees Learn of Their Rights and Obligations under the FMLA, as Made Applicable by the CAA, and What Can an Employing Office Require of an Employee?

§825.300 [Reserved]

§825.301 What notices to employees are required of employing offices under the FMLA as made applicable by the CAA?

§825.302 What notice does an employee have to give an employing office when the need for FMLA leave is foreseeable?

§825.303 What are the requirements for an employee to furnish notice to an employing office where the need for FMLA leave is not foreseeable?

§825.304 What recourse do employing offices have if employees fail to provide the required notice?

§825.305 When must an employee provide medical certification to support FMLA leave?

§825.306 How much information may be required in medical certifications of a serious health condition?

§825.307 What may an employing office do if it questions the adequacy of a medical certification?

§825.308 Under what circumstances may an employing office request subsequent recertifications of medical conditions?

§825.309 What notice may an employing office require regarding an employee's intent to return to work?

§825.310 Under what circumstances may an employing office require that an employee submit a medical certification that the employee is able (or unable) to return to work (i.e., a "fitness-for-duty" report)?

§825.311 What happens if an employee fails to satisfy the medical certification and/or recertification requirements?

§825.312 Under what circumstances may an employing office refuse to provide FMLA leave or reinstatement to eligible employees?

SUBPART D - What Enforcement Mechanisms Does the CAA Provide ?

§825.400 What can employees do who believe that their rights under the FMLA as made applicable by the CAA have been violated?

§825.401 -- 825.404 [Reserved]

SUBPART E -- [Reserved]


SUBPART F - What Special Rules Apply to Employees of Schools?

§825.600 To whom do the special rules apply?

§825.601 What limitations apply to the taking of intermittent leave or leave on a reduced leave schedule?

§825.602 What limitations apply to the taking of leave near the end of an academic term?

§825.603 Is all leave taken during "periods of a particular duration" counted against the FMLA leave entitlement?

§825.604 What special rules apply to restoration to "an equivalent position?"

SUBPART G - How Do Other Laws, Employing Office Practices, and Collective Bargaining Agreements Affect Employee Rights Under the FMLA as Made Applicable by the CAA?

§825.700 What if an employing office provides more generous benefits than required by FMLA as Made Applicable by the CAA?

§825.701 [Reserved]

§825.702 How does FMLA affect anti-discrimination laws as applied by section 201 of the CAA?

SUBPART H - Definitions

§825.800 Definitions.


Appendix A to Part 825 ­ [Reserved]

Appendix B to Part 825 ­ Certification of Physician or Practitioner

Appendix C to Part 825 ­ [Reserved]

Appendix D to Part 825 ­ Prototype Notice: Employing Office Response to Employee Request for Family and Medical Leave

Appendix E to Part 825 ­ [Reserved] §825.1 Purpose and scope
(a) Section 202 of the Congressional Accountability Act (CAA) (2 U.S.C. 1312) applies the rights and protections of sections 101 through 105 of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) (29 U.S.C. 2611-2615) to covered employees. (The term "covered employee" is defined in section 101(3) of the CAA (2 U.S.C. 1301(3)). See § 825.800 of these regulations for that definition.) The purpose of this part is to set forth the regulations to carry out the provisions of section 202 of the CAA.
(b) These regulations are issued by the Board of Directors, Office of Compliance, pursuant to sections 202(d) and 304 of the CAA, which direct the Board to promulgate regulations implementing section 202 that are "the same as substantive regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Labor to implement the statutory provisions referred to in subsection (a) [of section 202 of the CAA] except insofar as the Board may determine, for good cause shown . . . that a modification of such regulations would be more effective for the implementation of the rights and protections under this section." The regulations issued by the Board herein are on all matters for which section 202 of the CAA requires regulations to be issued. Specifically, it is the Board's considered judgment, based on the information available to it at the time of the promulgation of these regulations, that, with the exception of regulations adopted and set forth herein, there are no other "substantive regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Labor to implement the statutory provisions referred to in subsection (a) [of section 202 of the CAA]."
(c) In promulgating these regulations, the Board has made certain technical and nomenclature changes to the regulations as promulgated by the Secretary. Such changes are intended to make the provisions adopted accord more naturally to situations in the legislative branch. However, by making these changes, the Board does not intend a substantive difference between these regulations and those of the Secretary from which they are derived. Moreover, such changes, in and of themselves, are not intended to constitute an interpretation of the regulation or of the statutory provisions of the CAA upon which they are based.

§825.2 Duration of interim regulations
These interim regulations for the House, the Senate and the employing offices of the instrumentalities are effective on January 23, 1996 or on the dates upon which appropriate resolutions are passed, whichever is later. The interim regulations shall expire on April 15, 1996 or on the dates on which appropriate resolutions concerning the Board's final regulations are passed by the House and the Senate.


SUBPART A - What is the Family and Medical Leave Act, and to Whom Does it Apply under the Congressional Accountability Act?

§825.100 What is the Family and Medical Leave Act?
(a) The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), as made applicable by the Congressional Accountability Act (CAA), allows "eligible" employees of an employing office to take job-protected, unpaid leave, or to substitute appropriate paid leave if the employee has earned or accrued it, for up to a total of 12 workweeks in any 12 months because of the birth of a child and to care for the newborn child, because of the placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care, because the employee is needed to care for a family member (child, spouse, or parent) with a serious health condition, or because the employee's own serious health condition makes the employee unable to perform the functions of his or her job (see § 825.306(b)(4)). In certain cases, this leave may be taken on an intermittent basis rather than all at once, or the employee may work a part-time schedule.
(b) An employee on FMLA leave is also entitled to have health benefits maintained while on leave as if the employee had continued to work instead of taking the leave. If an employee was paying all or part of the premium payments prior to leave, the employee would continue to pay his or her share during the leave period. The employing office or a disbursing or other financial office of the House of Representatives or the Senate may recover its share only if the employee does not return to work for a reason other than the serious health condition of the employee or the employee's immediate family member, or another reason beyond the employee's control.
(c) An employee generally has a right to return to the same position or an equivalent position with equivalent pay, benefits and working conditions at the conclusion of the leave. The taking of FMLA leave cannot result in the loss of any benefit that accrued prior to the start of the leave.
(d) The employing office has a right to 30 days advance notice from the employee where practicable. In addition, the employing office may require an employee to submit certification from a health care provider to substantiate that the leave is due to the serious health condition of the employee or the employee's immediate family member. Failure to comply with these requirements may result in a delay in the start of FMLA leave. Pursuant to a uniformly applied policy, the employing office may also require that an employee present a certification of fitness to return to work when the absence was caused by the employee's serious health condition (see §825.311(c)). The employing office may delay restoring the employee to employment without such certificate relating to the health condition which caused the employee's absence.

§825.101 What is the purpose of the FMLA?
(a) FMLA is intended to allow employees to balance their work and family life by taking reasonable unpaid leave for medical reasons, for the birth or adoption of a child, and for the care of a child, spouse, or parent who has a serious health condition. The FMLA is intended to balance the demands of the workplace with the needs of families, to promote the stability and economic security of families, and to promote national interests in preserving family integrity. It was intended that the FMLA accomplish these purposes in a manner that accommodates the legitimate interests of employers, and in a manner consistent with the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment in minimizing the potential for employment discrimination on the basis of sex, while promoting equal employment opportunity for men and women.
(b) The enactment of FMLA was predicated on two fundamental concerns ‹ the needs of the American workforce, and the development of high-performance organizations. Increasingly, America's children and elderly are dependent upon family members who must spend long hours at work. When a family emergency arises, requiring workers to attend to seriously ill children or parents, or to newly-born or adopted infants, or even to their own serious illness, workers need reassurance that they will not be asked to choose between continuing their employment, and meeting their personal and family obligations or tending to vital needs at home.
(c) The FMLA is both intended and expected to benefit employers as well as their employees. A direct correlation exists between stability in the family and productivity in the workplace. FMLA will encourage the development of high-performance organizations. When workers can count on durable links to their workplace they are able to make their own full commitments to their jobs. The record of hearings on family and medical leave indicate the powerful productive advantages of stable workplace relationships, and the comparatively small costs of guaranteeing that those relationships will not be dissolved while workers attend to pressing family health obligations or their own serious illness.

§825.102 When are the FMLA and the CAA effective for covered employees and employing offices?
(a) The rights and protection of sections 101 through 105 of the FMLA have applied to certain Senate employees and certain employing offices of the Senate since August 5, 1993 (see section 501 of FMLA).
(b) The rights and protection of sections 101 through 105 of the FMLA have applied to any employee in an employment position and any employment authority of the House of Representatives since August 5, 1993 (see section 502 of FMLA).
(c) The rights and protections of sections 101 through 105 of the FMLA have applied to certain employing offices and covered employees other than those referred to in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section for certain periods since August 5, 1993 (see, e.g., Title V of the FMLA, sections 501 and 502).
(d) The provisions of section 202 of the CAA that apply rights and protections of the FMLA to covered employees are effective on January 23, 1996.
(e) The period prior to the effective date of the application of FMLA rights and protections under the CAA must be considered in determining employee eligibility.

§825.103 How does the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA, affect leave in progress on, or taken before, the effective date of the CAA?
(a) An eligible employee's right to take FMLA leave began on the date that the rights and protections of the FMLA first went into effect for the employing office and employee (see § 825.102(a)). Any leave taken prior to the date on which the rights and protections of the FMLA first became effective for the employing office from which the leave was taken may not be counted for purposes of the FMLA as made applicable by the CAA. If leave qualifying as FMLA leave was underway prior to the effective date of the FMLA for the employing office from which the leave was taken and continued after the FMLA's effective date for that office, only that portion of leave taken on or after the FMLA's effective date may be counted against the employee's leave entitlement under the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA.
(b) If an employing office-approved leave is underway when the application of the FMLA by the CAA takes effect, no further notice would be required of the employee unless the employee requests an extension of the leave. For leave which commenced on the effective date or shortly thereafter, such notice must have been given which was practicable, considering the foreseeability of the need for leave and the effective date.
(c) Starting on January 23, 1996, an employee is entitled to FMLA leave under these regulations if the reason for the leave is qualifying under the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA, even if the event occasioning the need for leave (e.g., the birth of a child) occurred before such date (so long as any other requirements are satisfied).

§825.104 What employing offices are covered by the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA?
(a) The FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA, covers all employing offices. As used in the CAA, the term "employing office" means --

(1) the personal office of a Member of the House of Representatives or of a Senator;
(2) a committee of the House of Representatives or the Senate or a joint committee;
(3) any other office headed by a person with the final authority to appoint, hire, discharge, and set the terms, conditions, or privileges of the employment of an employee of the House of Representatives or the Senate; or
(4) the Capitol Guide Board, the Capitol Police Board, the Congressional Budget Office, the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, the Office of the Attending Physician, the Office of Compliance, and the Office of Technology Assessment.
(b) [Reserved]
(c) Separate entities will be deemed to be parts of a single employer for purposes of the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA, if they meet the "integrated employer" test. A determination of whether or not separate entities are an integrated employer is not determined by the application of any single criterion, but rather the entire relationship is to be reviewed in its totality. Factors considered in determining whether two or more entities are an integrated employer include:
(i) Common management;
(ii) Interrelation between operations;
(iii) Centralized control of labor relations; and
(iv) Degree of common financial control.

§825.105 [Reserved]

§825.106 How is "joint employment" treated under the FMLA as made applicable by the CAA?
(a) Where two or more employing offices exercise some control over the work or working conditions of the employee, the employing offices may be joint employers under FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA. Where the employee performs work which simultaneously benefits two or more employing offices, or works for two or more employing offices at different times during the workweek, a joint employment relationship generally will be considered to exist in situations such as:

(1) Where there is an arrangement between employing offices to share an employee's services or to interchange employees;
(2) Where one employing office acts directly or indirectly in the interest of the other employing office in relation to the employee; or
(3) Where the employing offices are not completely disassociated with respect to the employee's employment and may be deemed to share control of the employee, directly or indirectly, because one employing office controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with the other employing office.
(b) A determination of whether or not a joint employment relationship exists is not determined by the application of any single criterion, but rather the entire relationship is to be viewed in its totality. For example, joint employment will ordinarily be found to exist when:
(1) an employee, who is employed by an employing office other than the personal office of a Member of the House of Representatives or of a Senator, is under the actual direction and control of the Member of the House of Representatives or Senator; or
(2) two or more employing offices employ an individual to work on common issues or other matters for both or all of them.
(c) When employing offices employ a covered employee jointly, they may designate one of themselves to be the primary employing office, and the other or others to be the secondary employing office(s). Such a designation shall be made by written notice to the covered employee.
(d) If an employing office is designated a primary employing office pursuant to paragraph (c) of this section, only that employing office is responsible for giving required notices to the covered employee, providing FMLA leave, and maintenance of health benefits. Job restoration is the primary responsibility of the primary employing office, and the secondary employing office(s) may, subject to the limitations in § 825.216, be responsible for accepting the employee returning from FMLA leave.
(e) If employing offices employ an employee jointly, but fail to designate a primary employing office pursuant to paragraph (c) of this section, then all of these employing offices shall be jointly and severally liable for giving required notices to the employee, for providing FMLA leave, for assuring that health benefits are maintained, and for job restoration. The employee may give notice of need for FMLA leave, as described in §§ 825.302 and 825.303, to whichever of these employing offices the employee chooses. If the employee makes a written request for restoration to one of these employing offices, that employing office shall be primarily responsible for job restoration, and the other employing office(s) may, subject to the limitations in § 825.216, be responsible for accepting the employee returning from FMLA leave.

§825.107 [Reserved]

§825.108 [Reserved]

§825.109 [Reserved]

§825.110 Which employees are "eligible" to take FMLA leave under these regulations?
(a) An "eligible employee" under these regulations means a covered employee who has been employed in any employing office for 12 months and for at least 1,250 hours of employment during the previous 12 months.
(b) The 12 months an employee must have been employed by any employing office need not be consecutive months. If an employee worked for two or more employing offices sequentially, the time worked will be aggregated to determine whether it equals 12 months. If an employee is maintained on the payroll for any part of a week, including any periods of paid or unpaid leave (sick, vacation) during which other benefits or compensation are provided by the employer (e.g., workers' compensation, group health plan benefits, etc.), the week counts as a week of employment. For purposes of determining whether intermittent/occasional/casual employment qualifies as "at least 12 months," 52 weeks is deemed to be equal to 12 months.
(c) If an employee was employed by two or more employing offices, either sequentially or concurrently, the hours of service will be aggregated to determine whether the minimum of 1,250 hours has been reached. Whether an employee has worked the minimum 1,250 hours of service is determined according to the principles established under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) , as applied by section 203 of the CAA (2 U.S.C. 1313), for determining compensable hours of work. The determining factor is the number of hours an employee has worked for one or more employing offices. The determination is not limited by methods of record-keeping, or by compensation agreements that do not accurately reflect all of the hours an employee has worked for or been in service to the employing office. Any accurate accounting of actual hours worked may be used. For this purpose, full-time teachers (see § 825.800 for definition) of an elementary or secondary school system, or institution of higher education, or other educational establishment or institution are deemed to meet the 1,250 hour test. An employing office must be able to clearly demonstrate that such an employee did not work 1,250 hours during the previous 12 months in order to claim that the employee is not "eligible" for FMLA leave.
(d) The determinations of whether an employee has worked for any employing office for at least 1,250 hours in the previous 12 months and has been employed by any employing office for a total of at least 12 months must be made as of the date leave commences. The "previous 12 months" means the 12 months immediately preceding the commencement of the leave. If an employee notifies the employing office of need for FMLA leave before the employee meets these eligibility criteria, the employing office must either confirm the employee's eligibility based upon a projection that the employee will be eligible on the date leave would commence or must advise the employee when the eligibility requirement is met. If the employing office confirms eligibility at the time the notice for leave is received, the employing office may not subsequently challenge the employee's eligibility. In the latter case, if the employing office does not advise the employee whether the employee is eligible as soon as practicable (i.e., two business days absent extenuating circumstances) after the date employee eligibility is determined, the employee will have satisfied the notice requirements and the notice of leave is considered current and outstanding until the employing office does advise. If the employing office fails to advise the employee whether the employee is eligible prior to the date the requested leave is to commence, the employee will be deemed eligible. The employing office may not, then, deny the leave. Where the employee does not give notice of the need for leave more than two business days prior to commencing leave, the employee will be deemed to be eligible if the employing office fails to advise the employee that the employee is not eligible within two business days of receiving the employee's notice.
(e) The period prior to the effective date of the application of FMLA rights and protections under the CAA must be considered in determining employee's eligibility.
(f) [Reserved]

§825.111 [Reserved]

§825.112 Under what kinds of circumstances are employing offices required to grant family or medical leave?
(a) Employing offices are required to grant leave to eligible employees:

(1) For birth of a son or daughter, and to care for the newborn child;
(2) For placement with the employee of a son or daughter for adoption or foster care;
(3) To care for the employee's spouse, son, daughter, or parent with a serious health condition; and
(4) Because of a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the functions of the employee's job.
(b) The right to take leave under FMLA as made applicable by the CAA applies equally to male and female employees. A father, as well as a mother, can take family leave for the birth, placement for adoption or foster care of a child.
(c) Circumstances may require that FMLA leave begin before the actual date of birth of a child. An expectant mother may take FMLA leave pursuant to paragraph (a)(4) of this section before the birth of the child for prenatal care or if her condition makes her unable to work.
(d) Employing offices are required to grant FMLA leave pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of this section before the actual placement or adoption of a child if an absence from work is required for the placement for adoption or foster care to proceed. For example, the employee may be required to attend counseling sessions, appear in court, consult with his or her attorney or the doctor(s) representing the birth parent, or submit to a physical examination. The source of an adopted child (e.g., whether from a licensed placement agency or otherwise) is not a factor in determining eligibility for leave for this purpose.
(e) Foster care is 24-hour care for children in substitution for, and away from, their parents or guardian. Such placement is made by or with the agreement of the State as a result of a voluntary agreement between the parent or guardian that the child be removed from the home, or pursuant to a judicial determination of the necessity for foster care, and involves agreement between the State and foster family that the foster family will take care of the child. Although foster care may be with relatives of the child, State action is involved in the removal of the child from parental custody.
(f) In situations where the employer/employee relationship has been interrupted, such as an employee who has been on layoff, the employee must be recalled or otherwise be re-employed before being eligible for FMLA leave. Under such circumstances, an eligible employee is immediately entitled to further FMLA leave for a qualifying reason.
(g) FMLA leave is available for treatment for substance abuse provided the conditions of § 825.114 are met. However, treatment for substance abuse does not prevent an employing office from taking employment action against an employee. The employing office may not take action against the employee because the employee has exercised his or her right to take FMLA leave for treatment. However, if the employing office has an established policy, applied in a non-discriminatory manner that has been communicated to all employees, that provides under certain circumstances an employee may be terminated for substance abuse, pursuant to that policy the employee may be terminated whether or not the employee is presently taking FMLA leave. An employee may also take FMLA leave to care for an immediate family member who is receiving treatment for substance abuse. The employing office may not take action against an employee who is providing care for an immediate family member receiving treatment for substance abuse.

§825.113 What do "spouse," "parent," and "son or daughter" mean for purposes of an employee qualifying to take FMLA leave?
(a) Spouse means a husband or wife as defined or recognized under State law for purposes of marriage in the State where the employee resides, including common law marriage in States where it is recognized.
(b) Parent means a biological parent or an individual who stands or stood in loco parentis to an employee when the employee was a son or daughter as defined in (c) below. This term does not include parents "in law".
(c) Son or daughter means a biological, adopted, or foster child, a stepchild, a legal ward, or a child of a person standing in loco parentis, who is either under age 18, or age 18 or older and "incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability."

(1) "Incapable of self-care" means that the individual requires active assistance or supervision to provide daily self-care in three or more of the "activities of daily living" (ADLs) or "instrumental activities of daily living" (IADLs). Activities of daily living include adaptive activities such as caring appropriately for one's grooming and hygiene, bathing, dressing and eating. Instrumental activities of daily living include cooking, cleaning, shopping, taking public transportation, paying bills, maintaining a residence, using telephones and directories, using a post office, etc.
(2) "Physical or mental disability" means a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of an individual. See the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as made applicable by section 201(a)(3) of the CAA (2 U.S.C. 1311(a)(3)).
(3) Persons who are "in loco parentis" include those with day-to-day responsibilities to care for and financially support a child or, in the case of an employee, who had such responsibility for the employee when the employee was a child. A biological or legal relationship is not necessary.
(d) For purposes of confirmation of family relationship, the employing office may require the employee giving notice of the need for leave to provide reasonable documentation or statement of family relationship. This documentation may take the form of a simple statement from the employee, or a child's birth certificate, a court document, etc. The employing office is entitled to examine documentation such as a birth certificate, etc., but the employee is entitled to the return of the official document submitted for this purpose.

§825.114 What is a "serious health condition" entitling an employee to FMLA leave?
(a) For purposes of FMLA, "serious health condition" entitling an employee to FMLA leave means an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves:

(1) Inpatient care (i.e., an overnight stay) in a hospital, hospice, or residential medical care facility, including any period of incapacity (for purposes of this section, defined to mean inability to work, attend school or perform other regular daily activities due to the serious health condition, treatment therefor, or recovery therefrom), or any subsequent treatment in connection with such inpatient care; or
(2) Continuing treatment by a health care provider. A serious health condition involving continuing treatment by a health care provider includes any one or more of the following:
(i) A period of incapacity (i.e., inability to work, attend school or perform other regular daily activities due to the serious health condition, treatment therefor, or recovery therefrom) of more than three consecutive calendar days, and any subsequent treatment or period of incapacity relating to the same condition, that also involves:
(A) Treatment two or more times by a health care provider, by a nurse or physician's assistant under direct supervision of a health care provider, or by a provider of health care services (e.g., physical therapist) under orders of, or on referral by, a health care provider; or
(B) Treatment by a health care provider on at least one occasion which results in a regimen of continuing treatment under the supervision of the health care provider.
(ii) Any period of incapacity due to pregnancy, or for prenatal care.
(iii) Any period of incapacity or treatment for such incapacity due to a chronic serious health condition. A chronic serious health condition is one which:
(A) Requires periodic visits for treatment by a health care provider, or by a nurse or physician's assistant under direct supervision of a health care provider;
(B) Continues over an extended period of time (including recurring episodes of a single underlying condition); and
(C) May cause episodic rather than a continuing period of incapacity (e.g., asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, etc.).
(iv) A period of incapacity which is permanent or long-term due to a condition for which treatment may not be effective. The employee or family member must be under the continuing supervision of, but need not be receiving active treatment by, a health care provider. Examples include Alzheimer's, a severe stroke, or the terminal stages of a disease.
(v) Any period of absence to receive multiple treatments (including any period of recovery therefrom) by a health care provider or by a provider of health care services under orders of, or on referral by, a health care provider, either for restorative surgery after an accident or other injury, or for a condition that would likely result in a period of incapacity of more than three consecutive calendar days in the absence of medical intervention or treatment, such as cancer (chemotherapy, radiation, etc.), severe arthritis (physical therapy), kidney disease (dialysis).
(b) Treatment for purposes of paragraph (a) of this section includes (but is not limited to) examinations to determine if a serious health condition exists and evaluations of the condition. Treatment does not include routine physical examinations, eye examinations, or dental examinations. Under paragraph (a)(2)(i)(B), a regimen of continuing treatment includes, for example, a course of prescription medication (e.g., an antibiotic) or therapy requiring special equipment to resolve or alleviate the health condition (e.g., oxygen). A regimen of continuing treatment that includes the taking of over-the-counter medications such as aspirin, antihistamines, or salves; or bed rest, drinking fluids, exercise, and other similar activities that can be initiated without a visit to a health care provider, is not, by itself, sufficient to constitute a regimen of continuing treatment for purposes of FMLA leave.
(c) Conditions for which cosmetic treatments are administered (such as most treatments for acne or plastic surgery) are not "serious health conditions" unless inpatient hospital care is required or unless complications develop. Ordinarily, unless complications arise, the common cold, the flu, ear aches, upset stomach, minor ulcers, headaches other than migraine, routine dental or orthodontia problems, periodontal disease, etc., are examples of conditions that do not meet the definition of a serious health condition and do not qualify for FMLA leave. Restorative dental or plastic surgery after an injury or removal of cancerous growths are serious health conditions provided all the other conditions of this regulation are met. Mental illness resulting from stress or allergies may be serious health conditions, but only if all the conditions of this section are met.
(d) Substance abuse may be a serious health condition if the conditions of this section are met. However, FMLA leave may only be taken for treatment for substance abuse by a health care provider or by a provider of health care services on referral by a health care provider. On the other hand, absence because of the employee's use of the substance, rather than for treatment, does not qualify for FMLA leave.
(e) Absences attributable to incapacity under paragraphs (a)(2)(ii) or (iii) qualify for FMLA leave even though the employee or the immediate family member does not receive treatment from a health care provider during the absence, and even if the absence does not last more than three days. For example, an employee with asthma may be unable to report for work due to the onset of an asthma attack or because the employee's health care provider has advised the employee to stay home when the pollen count exceeds a certain level. An employee who is pregnant may be unable to report to work because of severe morning sickness.

§825.115 What does it mean that "the employee is unable to perform the functions of the position of the employee"?
An employee is "unable to perform the functions of the position" where the health care provider finds that the employee is unable to work at all or is unable to perform any one of the essential functions of the employee's position within the meaning of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as made applicable by section 201(a)(3) of the CAA (2 U.S.C. 1311(a)(3)). An employee who must be absent from work to receive medical treatment for a serious health condition is considered to be unable to perform the essential functions of the position during the absence for treatment. An employing office has the option, in requiring certification from a health care provider, to provide a statement of the essential functions of the employee's position for the health care provider to review. For purposes of FMLA, the essential functions of the employee's position are to be determined with reference to the position the employee held at the time notice is given or leave commenced, whichever is earlier.

§825.116 What does it mean that an employee is "needed to care for" a family member?
(a) The medical certification provision that an employee is "needed to care for" a family member encompasses both physical and psychological care. It includes situations where, for example, because of a serious health condition, the family member is unable to care for his or her own basic medical, hygienic, or nutritional needs or safety, or is unable to transport himself or herself to the doctor, etc. The term also includes providing psychological comfort and reassurance which would be beneficial to a child, spouse or parent with a serious health condition who is receiving inpatient or home care.
(b) The term also includes situations where the employee may be needed to fill in for others who are caring for the family member, or to make arrangements for changes in care, such as transfer to a nursing home.
(c) An employee's intermittent leave or a reduced leave schedule necessary to care for a family member includes not only a situation where the family member's condition itself is intermittent, but also where the employee is only needed intermittently ‹ such as where other care is normally available, or care responsibilities are shared with another member of the family or a third party.

§ 825.117 For an employee seeking intermittent FMLA leave or leave on a reduced leave schedule, what is meant by "the medical necessity for" such leave?
For intermittent leave or leave on a reduced leave schedule, there must be a medical need for leave (as distinguished from voluntary treatments and procedures) and it must be that such medical need can be best accommodated through an intermittent or reduced leave schedule. The treatment regimen and other information described in the certification of a serious health condition (see § 825.306) meets the requirement for certification of the medical necessity of intermittent leave or leave on a reduced leave schedule. Employees needing intermittent FMLA leave or leave on a reduced leave schedule must attempt to schedule their leave so as not to disrupt the employing office's operations. In addition, an employing office may assign an employee to an alternative position with equivalent pay and benefits that better accommodates the employee's intermittent or reduced leave schedule.

§825.118 What is a "health care provider"?
(a)(1) The term "health care provider" means:

(i) A doctor of medicine or osteopathy who is authorized to practice medicine or surgery (as appropriate) by the State in which the doctor practices; or
(ii) Any other person determined by the Office of Compliance to be capable of providing health care services.
(2) In making a determination referred to in subparagraph (1)(ii), and absent good cause shown to do otherwise, the Office of Compliance will follow any determination made by the Secretary of Labor (under section 101(6)(B) of the FMLA, 29 U.S.C. 2611(6)(B)) that a person is capable of providing health care services, provided the Secretary's determination was not made at the request of a person who was then a covered employee.
(b) Others "capable of providing health care services" include only:
(1) Podiatrists, dentists, clinical psychologists, optometrists, and chiropractors (limited to treatment consisting of manual manipulation of the spine to correct a subluxation as demonstrated by X-ray to exist) authorized to practice in the State and performing within the scope of their practice as defined under State law;
(2) Nurse practitioners, nurse-midwives and clinical social workers who are authorized to practice under State law and who are performing within the scope of their practice as defined under State law;
(3) Christian Science practitioners listed with the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston, Massachusetts. Where an employee or family member is receiving treatment from a Christian Science practitioner, an employee may not object to any requirement from an employing office that the employee or family member submit to examination (though not treatment) to obtain a second or third certification from a health care provider other than a Christian Science practitioner except as otherwise provided under applicable State or local law or collective bargaining agreement.
(4) Any health care provider from whom an employing office or the employing office's group health plan's benefits manager will accept certification of the existence of a serious health condition to substantiate a claim for benefits; and
(5) A health care provider listed above who practices in a country other than the United States, who is authorized to practice in accordance with the law of that country, and who is performing within the scope of his or her practice as defined under such law.
(c) The phrase "authorized to practice in the State" as used in this section means that the provider must be authorized to diagnose and treat physical or mental health conditions without supervision by a doctor or other health care provider.



SUBPART B - What Leave Is an Employee Entitled to Take under the Family and Medical Leave Act, as Made Applicable by the Congressional Accountability Act?

§825.200 How much leave may an employee take?
(a) An eligible employee's FMLA leave entitlement is limited to a total of 12 workweeks of leave during any 12-month period for any one, or more, of the following reasons:

(1) The birth of the employee's son or daughter, and to care for the newborn child;
(2) The placement with the employee of a son or daughter for adoption or foster care, and to care for the newly placed child;
(3) To care for the employee's spouse, son, daughter, or parent with a serious health condition; and,
(4) Because of a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform one or more of the essential functions of his or her job.
(b) An employing office is permitted to choose any one of the following methods for determining the "12-month period" in which the 12 weeks of leave entitlement occurs:
(1) The calendar year;
(2) Any fixed 12-month "leave year," such as a fiscal year or a year starting on an employee's "anniversary" date;
(3) The 12-month period measured forward from the date any employee's first FMLA leave begins; or
(4) A "rolling" 12-month period measured backward from the date an employee uses any FMLA leave (except that such measure may not extend back before the date on which the application of FMLA rights and protections first becomes effective for the employing office; see § 825.102).
(c) Under methods in paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(2) of this section an employee would be entitled to up to 12 weeks of FMLA leave at any time in the fixed 12-month period selected. An employee could, therefore, take 12 weeks of leave at the end of the year and 12 weeks at the beginning of the following year. Under the method in paragraph (b)(3) of this section, an employee would be entitled to 12 weeks of leave during the year beginning on the first date FMLA leave is taken; the next 12-month period would begin the first time FMLA leave is taken after completion of any previous 12-month period. Under the method in paragraph (b)(4) of this section, the "rolling" 12-month period, each time an employee takes FMLA leave the remaining leave entitlement would be any balance of the 12 weeks which has not been used during the immediately preceding 12 months. For example, if an employee has taken eight weeks of leave during the past 12 months, an additional four weeks of leave could be taken. If an employee used four weeks beginning February 1, 1997, four weeks beginning June 1, 1997, and four weeks beginning December 1, 1997, the employee would not be entitled to any additional leave until February 1, 1998. However, beginning on February 1, 1998, the employee would be entitled to four weeks of leave, on June 1 the employee would be entitled to an additional four weeks, etc.
(d)(1) Employing offices will be allowed to choose any one of the alternatives in paragraph (b) of this section provided the alternative chosen is applied consistently and uniformly to all employees. An employing office wishing to change to another alternative is required to give at least 60 days notice to all employees, and the transition must take place in such a way that the employees retain the full benefit of 12 weeks of leave under whichever method affords the greatest benefit to the employee. Under no circumstances may a new method be implemented in order to avoid the CAA's FMLA leave requirements.
(2) [Reserved]
(e) If an employing office fails to select one of the options in paragraph (b) of this section for measuring the 12-month period, the option that provides the most beneficial outcome for the employee will be used. The employing office may subsequently select an option only by providing the 60-day notice to all employees of the option the employing office intends to implement. During the running of the 60-day period any other employee who needs FMLA leave may use the option providing the most beneficial outcome to that employee. At the conclusion of the 60-day period the employing office may implement the selected option.
(f) For purposes of determining the amount of leave used by an employee, the fact that a holiday may occur within the week taken as FMLA leave has no effect; the week is counted as a week of FMLA leave. However, if for some reason the employing office's activity has temporarily ceased and employees generally are not expected to report for work for one or more weeks (e.g., a school closing two weeks for the Christmas/New Year holiday or the summer vacation or an employing office closing the office for repairs), the days the employing office's activities have ceased do not count against the employee's FMLA leave entitlement. Methods for determining an employee's 12-week leave entitlement are also described in § 825.205.
(g)(1) If employing offices jointly employ an employee, and if they designate a primary employer pursuant to § 825.106(c), the primary employer may choose any one of the alternatives in paragraph (b) of this section for measuring the 12-month period, provided that the alternative chosen is applied consistently and uniformly to all employees of the primary employer including the jointly employed employee.
(2) If employing offices fail to designated a primary employer pursuant to § 825.106(c), an employee jointly employed by the employing offices may, by so notifying one of the employing offices, select that employing office to be the primary employer of the employee for purposes of the application of paragraphs (d) and (e) of this section.

§825.201 If leave is taken for the birth of a child, or for placement of a child for adoption or foster care, when must the leave be concluded?
An employee's entitlement to leave for a birth or placement for adoption or foster care expires at the end of the 12-month period beginning on the date of the birth or placement, unless the employing office permits leave to be taken for a longer period. Any such FMLA leave must be concluded within this one-year period.

§825.202 How much leave may a husband and wife take if they are employed by the same employing office?

(a) A husband and wife who are eligible for FMLA leave and are employed by the same employing office may be limited to a combined total of 12 weeks of leave during any 12-month period if the leave is taken:

(1) for birth of the employee's son or daughter or to care for the child after birth;
(2) for placement of a son or daughter with the employee for adoption or foster care, or to care for the child after placement; or
(3) to care for the employee's parent with a serious health condition.
(b) This limitation on the total weeks of leave applies to leave taken for the reasons specified in paragraph (a) of this section as long as a husband and wife are employed by the "same employing office." It would apply, for example, even though the spouses are employed at two different worksites of an employing office. On the other hand, if one spouse is ineligible for FMLA leave, the other spouse would be entitled to a full 12 weeks of FMLA leave.
(c) Where the husband and wife both use a portion of the total 12-week FMLA leave entitlement for one of the purposes in paragraph (a) of this section, the husband and wife would each be entitled to the difference between the amount he or she has taken individually and 12 weeks for FMLA leave for a purpose other than those contained in paragraph (a) of this section. For example, if each spouse took 6 weeks of leave to care for a healthy, newborn child, each could use an additional 6 weeks due to his or her own serious health condition or to care for a child with a serious health condition.

§825.203 Does FMLA leave have to be taken all at once, or can it be taken in parts?
(a) FMLA leave may be taken "intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule" under certain circumstances. Intermittent leave is FMLA leave taken in separate blocks of time due to a single qualifying reason. A reduced leave schedule is a leave schedule that reduces an employee's usual number of working hours per workweek, or hours per workday. A reduced leave schedule is a change in the employee's schedule for a period of time, normally from full-time to part-time.
(b) When leave is taken after the birth or placement of a child for adoption or foster care, an employee may take leave intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule only if the employing office agrees. Such a schedule reduction might occur, for example, where an employee, with the employing office's agreement, works part-time after the birth of a child, or takes leave in several segments. The employing office's agreement is not required, however, for leave during which the mother has a serious health condition in connection with the birth of her child or if the newborn child has a serious health condition.
(c) Leave may be taken intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule when medically necessary for planned and/or unanticipated medical treatment of a related serious health condition by or under the supervision of a health care provider, or for recovery from treatment or recovery from a serious health condition. It may also be taken to provide care or psychological comfort to an immediate family member with a serious health condition.

(1) Intermittent leave may be taken for a serious health condition which requires treatment by a health care provider periodically, rather than for one continuous period of time, and may include leave of periods from an hour or more to several weeks. Examples of intermittent leave would include leave taken on an occasional basis for medical appointments, or leave taken several days at a time spread over a period of six months, such as for chemotherapy. A pregnant employee may take leave intermittently for prenatal examinations or for her own condition, such as for periods of severe morning sickness. An example of an employee taking leave on a reduced leave schedule is an employee who is recovering from a serious health condition and is not strong enough to work a full-time schedule.
(2) Intermittent or reduced schedule leave may be taken for absences where the employee or family member is incapacitated or unable to perform the essential functions of the position because of a chronic serious health condition even if he or she does not receive treatment by a health care provider.
(d) There is no limit on the size of an increment of leave when an employee takes intermittent leave or leave on a reduced leave schedule. However, an employing office may limit leave increments to the shortest period of time that the employing office's payroll system uses to account for absences or use of leave, provided it is one hour or less. For example, an employee might take two hours off for a medical appointment, or might work a reduced day of four hours over a period of several weeks while recuperating from an illness. An employee may not be required to take more FMLA leave than necessary to address the circumstance that precipitated the need for the leave, except as provided in §§ 825.601 and 825.602.

§825.204 May an employing office transfer an employee to an "alternative position" in order to accommodate intermittent leave or a reduced leave schedule?
(a) If an employee needs intermittent leave or leave on a reduced leave schedule that is foreseeable based on planned medical treatment for the employee or a family member, including during a period of recovery from a serious health condition, or if the employing office agrees to permit intermittent or reduced schedule leave for the birth of a child or for placement of a child for adoption or foster care, the employing office may require the employee to transfer temporarily, during the period the intermittent or reduced leave schedule is required, to an available alternative position for which the employee is qualified and which better accommodates recurring periods of leave than does the employee's regular position. See § 825.601 for special rules applicable to instructional employees of schools.
(b) Transfer to an alternative position may require compliance with any applicable collective bargaining agreement and any applicable law (such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, as made applicable by the CAA). Transfer to an alternative position may include altering an existing job to better accommodate the employee's need for intermittent or reduced leave.
(c) The alternative position must have equivalent pay and benefits. An alternative position for these purposes does not have to have equivalent duties. The employing office may increase the pay and benefits of an existing alternative position, so as to make them equivalent to the pay and benefits of the employee's regular job. The employing office may also transfer the employee to a part-time job with the same hourly rate of pay and benefits, provided the employee is not required to take more leave than is medically necessary. For example, an employee desiring to take leave in increments of four hours per day could be transferred to a half-time job, or could remain in the employee's same job on a part-time schedule, paying the same hourly rate as the employee's previous job and enjoying the same benefits. The employing office may not eliminate benefits which otherwise would not be provided to part-time employees; however, an employing office may proportionately reduce benefits such as vacation leave where an employing office's normal practice is to base such benefits on the number of hours worked.
(d) An employing office may not transfer the employee to an alternative position in order to discourage the employee from taking leave or otherwise work a hardship on the employee. For example, a white collar employee may not be assigned to perform laborer's work; an employee working the day shift may not be reassigned to the graveyard shift; an employee working in the headquarters facility may not be reassigned to a branch a significant distance away from the employee's normal job location. Any such attempt on the part of the employing office to make such a transfer will be held to be contrary to the prohibited-acts provisions of the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA.
(e) When an employee who is taking leave intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule and has been transferred to an alternative position no longer needs to continue on leave and is able to return to full-time work, the employee must be placed in the same or equivalent job as the job he/she left when the leave commenced. An employee may not be required to take more leave than necessary to address the circumstance that precipitated the need for leave.

§825.205 How does one determine the amount of leave used where an employee takes leave intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule?
(a) If an employee takes leave on an intermittent or reduced leave schedule, only the amount of leave actually taken may be counted toward the 12 weeks of leave to which an employee is entitled. For example, if an employee who normally works five days a week takes off one day, the employee would use 1/5 of a week of FMLA leave. Similarly, if a full-time employee who normally works 8-hour days works 4-hour days under a reduced leave schedule, the employee would use 1/2 week of FMLA leave each week.
(b) Where an employee normally works a part-time schedule or variable hours, the amount of leave to which an employee is entitled is determined on a pro rata or proportional basis by comparing the new schedule with the employee's normal schedule. For example, if an employee who normally works 30 hours per week works only 20 hours a week under a reduced leave schedule, the employee's ten hours of leave would constitute one-third of a week of FMLA leave for each week the employee works the reduced leave schedule.
(c) If an employing office has made a permanent or long-term change in the employee's schedule (for reasons other than FMLA, and prior to the notice of need for FMLA leave), the hours worked under the new schedule are to be used for making this calculation.
(d) If an employee's schedule varies from week to week, a weekly average of the hours worked over the 12 weeks prior to the beginning of the leave period would be used for calculating the employee's normal workweek.

§825.206 May an employing office deduct hourly amounts from an employee's salary, when providing unpaid leave under FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA, without affecting the employee's qualification for exemption as an executive, administrative, or professional employee, or when utilizing the fluctuating workweek method for payment of overtime, under the Fair Labor Standards Act?
(a) Leave taken under FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA, may be unpaid. If an employee is otherwise exempt from minimum wage and overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), as made applicable by the CAA, as a salaried executive, administrative, or professional employee (under regulations issued by the Board, at part 541), providing unpaid FMLA-qualifying leave to such an employee will not cause the employee to lose the FLSA exemption. This means that under regulations currently in effect, where an employee meets the specified duties test, is paid on a salary basis, and is paid a salary of at least the amount specified in the regulations, the employing office may make deductions from the employee's salary for any hours taken as intermittent or reduced FMLA leave within a workweek, without affecting the exempt status of the employee. The fact that an employing office provides FMLA leave, whether paid or unpaid, or maintains any records regarding FMLA leave, will not be relevant to the determination whether an employee is exempt within the meaning of the Board's regulations at part 541.
(b) For an employee paid in accordance with a fluctuating workweek method of payment for overtime, where permitted by section 203 of the CAA (2 U.S.C. 1313), the employing office, during the period in which intermittent or reduced schedule FMLA leave is scheduled to be taken, may compensate an employee on an hourly basis and pay only for the hours the employee works, including time and one-half the employee's regular rate for overtime hours. The change to payment on an hourly basis would include the entire period during which the employee is taking intermittent leave, including weeks in which no leave is taken. The hourly rate shall be determined by dividing the employee's weekly salary by the employee's normal or average schedule of hours worked during weeks in which FMLA leave is not being taken. If an employing office chooses to follow this exception from the fluctuating workweek method of payment, the employing office must do so uniformly, with respect to all employees paid on a fluctuating workweek basis for whom FMLA leave is taken on an intermittent or reduced leave schedule basis. If an employing office does not elect to convert the employee's compensation to hourly pay, no deduction may be taken for FMLA leave absences. Once the need for intermittent or reduced scheduled leave is over, the employee may be restored to payment on a fluctuating work week basis.
(c) This special exception to the "salary basis" requirements of the FLSA exemption or fluctuating workweek payment requirements applies only to employees of employing offices who are eligible for FMLA leave, and to leave which qualifies as (one of the four types of) FMLA leave. Hourly or other deductions which are not in accordance with the Board's regulations at part 541 or with a permissible fluctuating workweek method of payment for overtime may not be taken, for example, where the employee has not worked long enough to be eligible for FMLA leave without potentially affecting the employee's eligibility for exemption. Nor may deductions which are not permitted by the Board's regulations at part 541 or by a permissible fluctuating workweek method of payment for overtime be taken from such an employee's salary for any leave which does not qualify as FMLA leave, for example, deductions from an employee's pay for leave required under an employing office's policy or practice for a reason which does not qualify as FMLA leave, e.g., leave to care for a grandparent or for a medical condition which does not qualify as a serious health condition; or for leave which is more generous than provided by FMLA as made applicable by the CAA, such as leave in excess of 12 weeks in a year. The employing office may comply with the employing office's own policy/practice under these circumstances and maintain the employee's eligibility for exemption or for the fluctuating workweek method of pay by not taking hourly deductions from the employee's pay, in accordance with FLSA requirements, or may take such deductions, treating the employee as an "hourly" employee and pay overtime premium pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek.

§825.207 Is FMLA leave paid or unpaid?
(a) Generally, FMLA leave is unpaid. However, under the circumstances described in this section, FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA, permits an eligible employee to choose to substitute paid leave for FMLA leave. If an employee does not choose to substitute accrued paid leave, the employing office may require the employee to substitute accrued paid leave for FMLA leave.
(b) Where an employee has earned or accrued paid vacation, personal or family leave, that paid leave may be substituted for all or part of any (otherwise) unpaid FMLA leave relating to birth, placement of a child for adoption or foster care, or care for a spouse, child or parent who has a serious health condition. The term "family leave" as used in FMLA refers to paid leave provided by the employing office covering the particular circumstances for which the employee seeks leave for either the birth of a child and to care for such child, placement of a child for adoption or foster care, or care for a spouse, child or parent with a serious health condition. For example, if the employing office's leave plan allows use of family leave to care for a child but not for a parent, the employing office is not required to allow accrued family leave to be substituted for FMLA leave used to care for a parent.
(c) Substitution of paid accrued vacation, personal, or medical/sick leave may be made for any (otherwise) unpaid FMLA leave needed to care for a family member or the employee's own serious health condition. Substitution of paid sick/medical leave may be elected to the extent the circumstances meet the employing office's usual requirements for the use of sick/medical leave. An employing office is not required to allow substitution of paid sick or medical leave for unpaid FMLA leave "in any situation" where the employing office's uniform policy would not normally allow such paid leave. An employee, therefore, has a right to substitute paid medical/sick leave to care for a seriously ill family member only if the employing office's leave plan allows paid leave to be used for that purpose. Similarly, an employee does not have a right to substitute paid medical/sick leave for a serious health condition which is not covered by the employing office's leave plan.
(d)(1) Disability leave for the birth of a child would be considered FMLA leave for a serious health condition and counted in the 12 weeks of leave permitted under FMLA as made applicable by the CAA. Because the leave pursuant to a temporary disability benefit plan is not unpaid, the provision for substitution of paid leave is inapplicable. However, the employing office may designate the leave as FMLA leave and count the leave as running concurrently for purposes of both the benefit plan and the FMLA leave entitlement. If the requirements to qualify for payments pursuant to the employing office's temporary disability plan are more stringent than those of FMLA as made applicable by the CAA, the employee must meet the more stringent requirements of the plan, or may choose not to meet the requirements of the plan and instead receive no payments from the plan and use unpaid FMLA leave or substitute available accrued paid leave.

(2) The FMLA as made applicable by the CAA provides that a serious health condition may result from injury to the employee "on or off" the job. If the employing office designates the leave as FMLA leave in accordance with § 825.208, the employee's FMLA 12-week leave entitlement may run concurrently with a workers' compensation absence when the injury is one that meets the criteria for a serious health condition. As the workers' compensation absence is not unpaid leave, the provision for substitution of the employee's accrued paid leave is not applicable. However, if the health care provider treating the employee for the workers' compensation injury certifies the employee is able to return to a "light duty job" but is unable to return to the same or equivalent job, the employee may decline the employing office's offer of a "light duty job". As a result the employee may lose workers' compensation payments, but is entitled to remain on unpaid FMLA leave until the 12-week entitlement is exhausted. As of the date workers' compensation benefits cease, the substitution provision becomes applicable and either the employee may elect or the employing office may require the use of accrued paid leave. See also §§ 825.210(f), 825.216(d), 825.220(d), 825.307(a)(1) and 825.702 (d)(1) and (2) regarding the relationship between workers' compensation absences and FMLA leave.
(e) Paid vacation or personal leave, including leave earned or accrued under plans allowing "paid time off," may be substituted, at either the employee's or the employing office's option, for any qualified FMLA leave. No limitations may be placed by the employing office on substitution of paid vacation or personal leave for these purposes.
(f) If neither the employee nor the employing office elects to substitute paid leave for unpaid FMLA leave under the above conditions and circumstances, the employee will remain entitled to all the paid leave which is earned or accrued under the terms of the employing office's plan.
(g) If an employee uses paid leave under circumstances which do not qualify as FMLA leave, the leave will not count against the 12 weeks of FMLA leave to which the employee is entitled. For example, paid sick leave used for a medical condition which is not a serious health condition does not count against the 12 weeks of FMLA leave entitlement.
(h) When an employee or employing office elects to substitute paid leave (of any type) for unpaid FMLA leave under circumstances permitted by these regulations, and the employing office's procedural requirements for taking that kind of leave are less stringent than the requirements of FMLA as made applicable by the CAA (e.g., notice or certification requirements), only the less stringent requirements may be imposed. An employee who complies with an employing office's less stringent leave plan requirements in such cases may not have leave for an FMLA purpose delayed or denied on the grounds that the employee has not complied with stricter requirements of FMLA as made applicable by the CAA. However, where accrued paid vacation or personal leave is substituted for unpaid FMLA leave for a serious health condition, an employee may be required to comply with any less stringent medical certification requirements of the employing office's sick leave program. See §§ 825.302(g), 825.305(e) and 825.306(c).
(i) Compensatory time off, if any is authorized under applicable law, is not a form of accrued paid leave that an employing office may require the employee to substitute for unpaid FMLA leave. The employee may request to use his/her balance of compensatory time for an FMLA reason. If the employing office permits the accrual of compensatory time to be used in compliance with applicable Board regulations, the absence which is paid from the employee's accrued compensatory time "account" may not be counted against the employee's FMLA leave entitlement.

§825.208 Under what circumstances may an employing office designate leave, paid or unpaid, as FMLA leave and, as a result, enable leave to be counted against the employee's total FMLA leave entitlement?
(a) In all circumstances, it is the employing office's responsibility to designate leave, paid or unpaid, as FMLA-qualifying, and to give notice of the designation to the employee as provided in this section. In the case of intermittent leave or leave on a reduced schedule, only one such notice is required unless the circumstances regarding the leave have changed. The employing office's designation decision must be based only on information received from the employee or the employee's spokesperson (e.g., if the employee is incapacitated, the employee's spouse, adult child, parent, doctor, etc., may provide notice to the employing office of the need to take FMLA leave). In any circumstance where the employing office does not have sufficient information about the reason for an employee's use of paid leave, the employing office should inquire further of the employee or the spokesperson to ascertain whether the paid leave is potentially FMLA-qualifying.

(1) An employee giving notice of the need for unpaid FMLA leave must explain the reasons for the needed leave so as to allow the employing office to determine that the leave qualifies under the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA. If the employee fails to explain the reasons, leave may be denied. In many cases, in explaining the reasons for a request to use paid leave, especially when the need for the leave was unexpected or unforeseen, an employee will provide sufficient information for the employing office to designate the paid leave as FMLA leave. An employee using accrued paid leave, especially vacation or personal leave, may in some cases not spontaneously explain the reasons or their plans for using their accrued leave.
(2) As noted in § 825.302(c), an employee giving notice of the need for unpaid FMLA leave does not need to expressly assert rights under the FMLA as made applicable by the CAA or even mention the FMLA to meet his or her obligation to provide notice, though the employee would need to state a qualifying reason for the needed leave. An employee requesting or notifying the employing office of an intent to use accrued paid leave, even if for a purpose covered by FMLA, would not need to assert such right either. However, if an employee requesting to use paid leave for an FMLA-qualifying purpose does not explain the reason for the leave ‹ consistent with the employing office's established policy or practice ‹ and the employing office denies the employee's request, the employee will need to provide sufficient information to establish an FMLA-qualifying reason for the needed leave so that the employing office is aware of the employee's entitlement (i.e., that the leave may not be denied) and, then, may designate that the paid leave be appropriately counted against (substituted for) the employee's 12-week entitlement. Similarly, an employee using accrued paid vacation leave who seeks an extension of unpaid leave for an FMLA-qualifying purpose will need to state the reason. If this is due to an event which occurred during the period of paid leave, the employing office may count the leave used after the FMLA-qualifying event against the employee's 12-week entitlement.
(b)(1) Once the employing office has acquired knowledge that the leave is being taken for an FMLA required reason, the employing office must promptly (within two business days absent extenuating circumstances) notify the employee that the paid leave is designated and will be counted as FMLA leave. If there is a dispute between an employing office and an employee as to whether paid leave qualifies as FMLA leave, it should be resolved through discussions between the employee and the employing office. Such discussions and the decision must be documented.
(2) The employing office's notice to the employee that the leave has been designated as FMLA leave may be orally or in writing. If the notice is oral, it shall be confirmed in writing, no later than the following payday (unless the payday is less than one week after the oral notice, in which case the notice must be no later than the subsequent payday). The written notice may be in any form, including a notation on the employee's pay stub.
(c) If the employing office requires paid leave to be substituted for unpaid leave, or that paid leave taken under an existing leave plan be counted as FMLA leave, this decision must be made by the employing office within two business days of the time the employee gives notice of the need for leave, or, where the employing office does not initially have sufficient information to make a determination, when the employing office determines that the leave qualifies as FMLA leave if this happens later. The employing office's designation must be made before the leave starts, unless the employing office does not have sufficient information as to the employee's reason for taking the leave until after the leave commenced. If the employing office has the requisite knowledge to make a determination that the paid leave is for an FMLA reason at the time the employee either gives notice of the need for leave or commences leave and fails to designate the leave as FMLA leave (and so notify the employee in accordance with paragraph (b)), the employing office may not designate leave as FMLA leave retroactively, and may designate only prospectively as of the date of notification to the employee of the designation. In such circumstances, the employee is subject to the full protections of the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA, but none of the absence preceding the notice to the employee of the designation may be counted against the employee's 12-week FMLA leave entitlement.
(d) If the employing office learns that leave is for an FMLA purpose after leave has begun, such as when an employee gives notice of the need for an extension of the paid leave with unpaid FMLA leave, the entire or some portion of the paid leave period may be retroactively counted as FMLA leave, to the extent that the leave period qualified as FMLA leave. For example, an employee is granted two weeks paid vacation leave for a skiing trip. In mid-week of the second week, the employee contacts the employing office for an extension of leave as unpaid leave and advises that at the beginning of the second week of paid vacation leave the employee suffered a severe accident requiring hospitalization. The employing office may notify the employee that both the extension and the second week of paid vacation leave (from the date of the injury) is designated as FMLA leave. On the other hand, when the employee takes sick leave that turns into a serious health condition (e.g., bronchitis that turns into bronchial pneumonia) and the employee gives notice of the need for an extension of leave, the entire period of the serious health condition may be counted as FMLA leave.
(e) Employing offices may not designate leave as FMLA leave after the employee has returned to work with two exceptions:
(1) If the employee was absent for an FMLA reason and the employing office did not learn the reason for the absence until the employee's return (e.g., where the employee was absent for only a brief period), the employing office may, upon the employee's return to work, promptly (within two business days of the employee's return to work) designate the leave retroactively with appropriate notice to the employee. If leave is taken for an FMLA reason but the employing office was not aware of the reason, and the employee desires that the leave be counted as FMLA leave, the employee must notify the employing office within two business days of returning to work of the reason for the leave. In the absence of such timely notification by the employee, the employee may not subsequently assert FMLA protections for the absence.
(2) If the employing office knows the reason for the leave but has not been able to confirm that the leave qualifies under FMLA, or where the employing office has requested medical certification which has not yet been received or the parties are in the process of obtaining a second or third medical opinion, the employing office should make a preliminary designation, and so notify the employee, at the time leave begins, or as soon as the reason for the leave becomes known. Upon receipt of the requisite information from the employee or of the medical certification which confirms the leave is for an FMLA reason, the preliminary designation becomes final. If the medical certifications fail to confirm that the reason for the absence was an FMLA reason, the employing office must withdraw the designation (with written notice to the employee).
(f) If, before beginning employment with an employing office, an employee had been employed by another employing office, the subsequent employing office may count against the employee's FMLA leave entitlement FMLA leave taken from the prior employing office, except that, if the FMLA leave began after the effective of these regulations (or if the FMLA leave was subject to other applicable requirement under which the employing office was to have designated the leave as FMLA leave), the prior employing office must have properly designated the leave as FMLA under these regulations or other applicable requirement.

§825.209 Is an employee entitled to benefits while using FMLA leave?
(a) During any FMLA leave, the employing office must maintain the employee's coverage under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program or any group health plan (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 at 26 U.S.C. 5000(b)(1)) on the same conditions as coverage would have been provided if the employee had been continuously employed during the entire leave period. All employing offices are subject to the requirements of the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA, to maintain health coverage. The definition of "group health plan" is set forth in § 825.800. For purposes of FMLA, the term "group health plan" shall not include an insurance program providing health coverage under which employees purchase individual policies from insurers provided that

(1) no contributions are made by the employing office;
(2) participation in the program is completely voluntary for employees;
(3) the sole functions of the employing office with respect to the program are, without endorsing the program, to permit the insurer to publicize the program to employees, to collect premiums through payroll deductions and to remit them to the insurer;
(4) the employing office receives no consideration in the form of cash or otherwise in connection with the program, other than reasonable compensation, excluding any profit, for administrative services actually rendered in connection with payroll deduction; and,
(5) the premium charged with respect to such coverage does not increase in the event the employment relationship terminates.
(b) The same group health plan benefits provided to an employee prior to taking FMLA leave must be maintained during the FMLA leave. For example, if family member coverage is provided to an employee, family member coverage must be maintained during the FMLA leave. Similarly, benefit coverage during FMLA leave for medical care, surgical care, hospital care, dental care, eye care, mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, etc., must be maintained during leave if provided in an employing office's group health plan, including a supplement to a group health plan, whether or not provided through a flexible spending account or other component of a cafeteria plan.
(c) If an employing office provides a new health plan or benefits or changes health benefits or plans while an employee is on FMLA leave, the employee is entitled to the new or changed plan/benefits to the same extent as if the employee were not on leave. For example, if an employing office changes a group health plan so that dental care becomes covered under the plan, an employee on FMLA leave must be given the same opportunity as other employees to receive (or obtain) the dental care coverage. Any other plan changes (e.g., in coverage, premiums, deductibles, etc.) which apply to all employees of the workforce would also apply to an employee on FMLA leave.
(d) Notice of any opportunity to change plans or benefits must also be given to an employee on FMLA leave. If the group health plan permits an employee to change from single to family coverage upon the birth of a child or otherwise add new family members, such a change in benefits must be made available while an employee is on FMLA leave. If the employee requests the changed coverage it must be provided by the employing office.
(e) An employee may choose not to retain group health plan coverage during FMLA leave. However, when an employee returns from leave, the employee is entitled to be reinstated on the same terms as prior to taking the leave, including family or dependent coverages, without any qualifying period, physical examination, exclusion of pre-existing conditions, etc. See § 825.212(c).
(f) Except as required by the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 (COBRA) or 5 U.S.C. 8905a, whichever is applicable, and for "key" employees (as discussed below), an employing office's obligation to maintain health benefits during leave (and to restore the employee to the same or equivalent employment) under FMLA ceases if and when the employment relationship would have terminated if the employee had not taken FMLA leave (e.g., if the employee's position is eliminated as part of a nondiscriminatory reduction in force and the employee would not have been transferred to another position); an employee informs the employing office of his or her intent not to return from leave (including before starting the leave if the employing office is so informed before the leave starts); or the employee fails to return from leave or continues on leave after exhausting his or her FMLA leave entitlement in the 12-month period.
(g) If a "key employee" (see § 825.218) does not return from leave when notified by the employing office that substantial or grievous economic injury will result from his or her reinstatement, the employee's entitlement to group health plan benefits continues unless and until the employee advises the employing office that the employee does not desire restoration to employment at the end of the leave period, or FMLA leave entitlement is exhausted, or reinstatement is actually denied.
(h) An employee's entitlement to benefits other than group health benefits during a period of FMLA leave (e.g., holiday pay) is to be determined by the employing office's established policy for providing such benefits when the employee is on other forms of leave (paid or unpaid, as appropriate).

§825.210 How may employees on FMLA leave pay their share of group health benefit premiums?
(a) Group health plan benefits must be maintained on the same basis as coverage would have been provided if the employee had been continuously employed during the FMLA leave period. Therefore, any share of group health plan premiums which had been paid by the employee prior to FMLA leave must continue to be paid by the employee during the FMLA leave period. If premiums are raised or lowered, the employee would be required to pay the new premium rates. Maintenance of health insurance policies which are not a part of the employing office's group health plan, as described in § 825.209(a), are the sole responsibility of the employee. The employee and the insurer should make necessary arrangements for payment of premiums during periods of unpaid FMLA leave.
(b) If the FMLA leave is substituted paid leave, the employee's share of premiums must be paid by the method normally used during any paid leave, presumably as a payroll deduction.
(c) If FMLA leave is unpaid, the employing office has a number of options for obtaining payment from the employee. The employing office may require that payment be made to the employing office or to the insurance carrier, but no additional charge may be added to the employee's premium payment for administrative expenses. The employing office may require employees to pay their share of premium payments in any of the following ways:

(1) Payment would be due at the same time as it would be made if by payroll deduction;
(2) Payment would be due on the same schedule as payments are made under COBRA or 5 U.S.C. 8905a, whichever is applicable;
(3) Payment would be prepaid pursuant to a cafeteria plan at the employee's option;
(4) The employing office's existing rules for payment by employees on "leave without pay" would be followed, provided that such rules do not require prepayment (i.e., prior to the commencement of the leave) of the premiums that will become due during a period of unpaid FMLA leave or payment of higher premiums than if the employee had continued to work instead of taking leave; or,
(5) Another system voluntarily agreed to between the employing office and the employee, which may include prepayment of premiums (e.g., through increased payroll deductions when the need for the FMLA leave is foreseeable).
(d) The employing office must provide the employee with advance written notice of the terms and conditions under which these payments must be made. (See § 825.301.)
(e) An employing office may not require more of an employee using FMLA leave than the employing office requires of other employees on "leave without pay."
(f) An employee who is receiving payments as a result of a workers' compensation injury must make arrangements with the employing office for payment of group health plan benefits when simultaneously taking unpaid FMLA leave. See paragraph (c) of this section and § 825.207(d)(2).

§825.211 What special health benefits maintenance rules apply to multi-employer health plans?
(a) A multi-employer health plan is a plan to which more than one employer is required to contribute, and which is maintained pursuant to one or more collective bargaining agreements between employee organization(s) and the employers.
(b) An employing office under a multi-employer plan must continue to make contributions on behalf of an employee using FMLA leave as though the employee had been continuously employed, unless the plan contains an explicit FMLA provision for maintaining coverage such as through pooled contributions by all employers party to the plan.
(c) During the duration of an employee's FMLA leave, coverage by the group health plan, and benefits provided pursuant to the plan, must be maintained at the level of coverage and benefits which were applicable to the employee at the time FMLA leave commenced.
(d) An employee using FMLA leave cannot be required to use "banked" hours or pay a greater premium than the employee would have been required to pay if the employee had been continuously employed.
(e) As provided in § 825.209(f), group health plan coverage must be maintained for an employee on FMLA leave until:

(1) the employee's FMLA leave entitlement is exhausted;
(2) the employing office can show that the employee would have been laid off and the employment relationship terminated; or,
(3) the employee provides unequivocal notice of intent not to return to work.

§825.212 What are the consequences of an employee's failure to make timely health plan premium payments?
(a)(1) In the absence of an established employing office policy providing a longer grace period, an employing office's obligations to maintain health insurance coverage cease under FMLA if an employee's premium payment is more than 30 days late. In order to drop the coverage for an employee whose premium payment is late, the employing office must provide written notice to the employee that the payment has not been received. Such notice must be mailed to the employee at least 15 days before coverage is to cease, advising that coverage will be dropped on a specified date at least 15 days after the date of the letter unless the payment has been received by that date. If the employing office has established policies regarding other forms of unpaid leave that provide for the employing office to cease coverage retroactively to the date the unpaid premium payment was due, the employing office may drop the employee from coverage retroactively in accordance with that policy, provided the 15-day notice was given. In the absence of such a policy, coverage for the employee may be terminated at the end of the 30-day grace period, where the required 15-day notice has been provided.
(2) An employing office has no obligation regarding the maintenance of a health insurance policy which is not a "group health plan." See § 825.209(a).
(3) All other obligations of an employing office under FMLA would continue; for example, the employing office continues to have an obligation to reinstate an employee upon return from leave.
(b) The employing office may recover the employee's share of any premium payments missed by the employee for any FMLA leave period during which the employing office maintains health coverage by paying the employee's share after the premium payment is missed.
(c) If coverage lapses because an employee has not made required premium payments, upon the employee's return from FMLA leave the employing office must still restore the employee to coverage/benefits equivalent to those the employee would have had if leave had not been taken and the premium payment(s) had not been missed, including family or dependent coverage. See § 825.215(d)(1) - (5). In such case, an employee may not be required to meet any qualification requirements imposed by the plan, including any new preexisting condition waiting period, to wait for an open season, or to pass a medical examination to obtain reinstatement of coverage.

§825.213 May an employing office recover costs it incurred for maintaining "group health plan" or other non-health benefits coverage during FMLA leave?
(a) In addition to the circumstances discussed in § 825.212(b), the share of health plan premiums paid by or on behalf of the employing office during a period of unpaid FMLA leave may be recovered from an employee if the employee fails to return to work after the employee's FMLA leave entitlement has been exhausted or expires, unless the reason the employee does not return is due to:

(1) The continuation, recurrence, or onset of a serious health condition of the employee or the employee's family member which would otherwise entitle the employee to leave under FMLA; or
(2) Other circumstances beyond the employee's control. Examples of "other circumstances beyond the employee's control" are necessarily broad. They include such situations as where a parent chooses to stay home with a newborn child who has a serious health condition; an employee's spouse is unexpectedly transferred to a job location more than 75 miles from the employee's worksite; a relative or individual other than an immediate family member has a serious health condition and the employee is needed to provide care; the employee is laid off while on leave; or, the employee is a "key employee" who decides not to return to work upon being notified of the employing office's intention to deny restoration because of substantial and grievous economic injury to the employing office's operations and is not reinstated by the employing office. Other circumstances beyond the employee's control would not include a situation where an employee desires to remain with a parent in a distant city even though the parent no longer requires the employee's care, or a parent chooses not to return to work to stay home with a well, newborn child.
(3) When an employee fails to return to work because of the continuation, recurrence, or onset of a serious health condition, thereby precluding the employing office from recovering its (share of) health benefit premium payments made on the employee's behalf during a period of unpaid FMLA leave, the employing office may require medical certification of the employee's or the family member's serious health condition. Such certification is not required unless requested by the employing office. The employee is required to provide medical certification in a timely manner which, for purposes of this section, is within 30 days from the date of the employing office's request. For purposes of medical certification, the employee may use the optional form developed for this purpose (see § 825.306(a) and Appendix B of this part). If the employing office requests medical certification and the employee does not provide such certification in a timely manner (within 30 days), or the reason for not returning to work does not meet the test of other circumstances beyond the employee's control, the employing office may recover 100% of the health benefit premiums it paid during the period of unpaid FMLA leave.
(b) Under some circumstances an employing office may elect to maintain other benefits, e.g., life insurance, disability insurance, etc., by paying the employee's (share of) premiums during periods of unpaid FMLA leave. For example, to ensure the employing office can meet its responsibilities to provide equivalent benefits to the employee upon return from unpaid FMLA leave, it may be necessary that premiums be paid continuously to avoid a lapse of coverage. If the employing office elects to maintain such benefits during the leave, at the conclusion of leave, the employing office is entitled to recover only the costs incurred for paying the employee's share of any premiums whether or not the employee returns to work.
(c) An employee who returns to work for at least 30 calendar days is considered to have "returned" to work. An employee who transfers directly from taking FMLA leave to retirement, or who retires during the first 30 days after the employee returns to work, is deemed to have returned to work.
(d) When an employee elects or an employing office requires paid leave to be substituted for FMLA leave, the employing office may not recover its (share of) health insurance or other non-health benefit premiums for any period of FMLA leave covered by paid leave. Because paid leave provided under a plan covering temporary disabilities (including workers' compensation) is not unpaid, recovery of health insurance premiums does not apply to such paid leave.
(e) The amount that self-insured employing offices may recover is limited to only the employing office's share of allowable "premiums" as would be calculated under COBRA, excluding the 2 percent fee for administrative costs.
(f) When an employee fails to return to work, any health and non-health benefit premiums which this section of the regulations permits an employing office to recover are a debt owed by the non-returning employee to the employing office. The existence of this debt caused by the employee's failure to return to work does not alter the employing office's responsibilities for health benefit coverage and, under a self-insurance plan, payment of claims incurred during the period of FMLA leave. To the extent recovery is allowed, the employing office may recover the costs through deduction from any sums due to the employee (e.g., unpaid wages, vacation pay, etc.), provided such deductions do not otherwise violate applicable wage payment or other laws. Alternatively, the employing office may initiate legal action against the employee to recover such costs.

§825.214 What are an employee's rights on returning to work from FMLA leave?
(a) On return from FMLA leave, an employee is entitled to be returned to the same position the employee held when leave commenced, or to an equivalent position with equivalent benefits, pay, and other terms and conditions of employment. An employee is entitled to such reinstatement even if the employee has been replaced or his or her position has been restructured to accommodate the employee's absence. See also § 825.106(e) for the obligations of employing offices that are joint employing offices.
(b) If the employee is unable to perform an essential function of the position because of a physical or mental condition, including the continuation of a serious health condition, the employee has no right to restoration to another position under the FMLA. However, the employing office's obligations may be governed by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as made applicable by the CAA. See § 825.702.

§825.215 What is an equivalent position?

(a) An equivalent position is one that is virtually identical to the employee's former position in terms of pay, benefits and working conditions, including privileges, perquisites and status. It must involve the same or substantially similar duties and responsibilities, which must entail substantially equivalent skill, effort, responsibility, and authority.
(b) If an employee is no longer qualified for the position because of the employee's inability to attend a necessary course, renew a license, fly a minimum number of hours, etc., as a result of the leave, the employee shall be given a reasonable opportunity to fulfill those conditions upon return to work.
(c) Equivalent Pay.

(1) An employee is entitled to any unconditional pay increases which may have occurred during the FMLA leave period, such as cost of living increases. Pay increases conditioned upon seniority, length of service, or work performed would not have to be granted unless it is the employing office's policy or practice to do so with respect to other employees on "leave without pay." In such case, any pay increase would be granted based on the employee's seniority, length of service, work performed, etc., excluding the period of unpaid FMLA leave. An employee is entitled to be restored to a position with the same or equivalent pay premiums, such as a shift differential. If an employee departed from a position averaging ten hours of overtime (and corresponding overtime pay) each week, an employee is ordinarily entitled to such a position on return from FMLA leave.
(2) Many employing offices pay bonuses in different forms to employees for job-related performance such as for perfect attendance, safety (absence of injuries or accidents on the job) and exceeding production goals. Bonuses for perfect attendance and safety do not require performance by the employee but rather contemplate the absence of occurrences. To the extent an employee who takes FMLA leave had met all the requirements for either or both of these bonuses before FMLA leave began, the employee is entitled to continue this entitlement upon return from FMLA leave, that is, the employee may not be disqualified for the bonus(es) for the taking of FMLA leave. See § 825.220 (b) and (c). A monthly production bonus, on the other hand, does require performance by the employee. If the employee is on FMLA leave during any part of the period for which the bonus is computed, the employee is entitled to the same consideration for the bonus as other employees on paid or unpaid leave (as appropriate). See paragraph (d)(2) of this section.
(d) Equivalent Benefits. "Benefits" include all benefits provided or made available to employees by an employing office, including group life insurance, health insurance, disability insurance, sick leave, annual leave, educational benefits, and pensions, regardless of whether such benefits are provided by a practice or written policy of an employing office through an employee benefit plan.
(1) At the end of an employee's FMLA leave, benefits must be resumed in the same manner and at the same levels as provided when the leave began, and subject to any changes in benefit levels that may have taken place during the period of FMLA leave affecting the entire workforce, unless otherwise elected by the employee. Upon return from FMLA leave, an employee cannot be required to requalify for any benefits the employee enjoyed before FMLA leave began (including family or dependent coverages). For example, if an employee was covered by a life insurance policy before taking leave but is not covered or coverage lapses during the period of unpaid FMLA leave, the employee cannot be required to meet any qualifications, such as taking a physical examination, in order to requalify for life insurance upon return from leave. Accordingly, some employing offices may find it necessary to modify life insurance and other benefits programs in order to restore employees to equivalent benefits upon return from FMLA leave, make arrangements for continued payment of costs to maintain such benefits during unpaid FMLA leave, or pay these costs subject to recovery from the employee on return from leave. See § 825.213(b).
(2) An employee may, but is not entitled to, accrue any additional benefits or seniority during unpaid FMLA leave. Benefits accrued at the time leave began, however, (e.g., paid vacation, sick or personal leave to the extent not substituted for FMLA leave) must be available to an employee upon return from leave.
(3) If, while on unpaid FMLA leave, an employee desires to continue life insurance, disability insurance, or other types of benefits for which he or she typically pays, the employing office is required to follow established policies or practices for continuing such benefits for other instances of leave without pay. If the employing office has no established policy, the employee and the employing office are encouraged to agree upon arrangements before FMLA leave begins.
(4) With respect to pension and other retirement plans, any period of unpaid FMLA leave shall not be treated as or counted toward a break in service for purposes of vesting and eligibility to participate. Also, if the plan requires an employee to be employed on a specific date in order to be credited with a year of service for vesting, contributions or participation purposes, an employee on unpaid FMLA leave on that date shall be deemed to have been employed on that date. However, unpaid FMLA leave periods need not be treated as credited service for purposes of benefit accrual, vesting and eligibility to participate.
(5) Employees on unpaid FMLA leave are to be treated as if they continued to work for purposes of changes to benefit plans. They are entitled to changes in benefits plans, except those which may be dependent upon seniority or accrual during the leave period, immediately upon return from leave or to the same extent they would have qualified if no leave had been taken. For example if the benefit plan is predicated on a pre-established number of hours worked each year and the employee does not have sufficient hours as a result of taking unpaid FMLA leave, the benefit is lost. (In this regard, § 825.209 addresses health benefits.)
(e) Equivalent Terms and Conditions of Employment. An equivalent position must have substantially similar duties, conditions, responsibilities, privileges and status as the employee's original position.
(1) The employee must be reinstated to the same or a geographically proximate worksite (i.e., one that does not involve a significant increase in commuting time or distance) from where the employee had previously been employed. If the employee's original worksite has been closed, the employee is entitled to the same rights as if the employee had not been on leave when the worksite closed. For example, if an employing office transfers all employees from a closed worksite to a new worksite in a different city, the employee on leave is also entitled to transfer under the same conditions as if he or she had continued to be employed.
(2) The employee is ordinarily entitled to return to the same shift or the same or an equivalent work schedule.
(3) The employee must have the same or an equivalent opportunity for bonuses and other similar discretionary and non-discretionary payments.
(4) FMLA does not prohibit an employing office from accommodating an employee's request to be restored to a different shift, schedule, or position which better suits the employee's personal needs on return from leave, or to offer a promotion to a better position. However, an employee cannot be induced by the employing office to accept a different position against the employee's wishes.
(f) The requirement that an employee be restored to the same or equivalent job with the same or equivalent pay, benefits, and terms and conditions of employment does not extend to de minimis or intangible, unmeasurable aspects of the job. However, restoration to a job slated for lay-off, when the employee's original position is not, would not meet the requirements of an equivalent position.

§825.216 Are there any limitations on an employing office's obligation to reinstate an employee?
(a) An employee has no greater right to reinstatement or to other benefits and conditions of employment than if the employee had been continuously employed during the FMLA leave period. An employing office must be able to show that an employee would not otherwise have been employed at the time reinstatement is requested in order to deny restoration to employment. For example:

(1) If an employee is laid off during the course of taking FMLA leave and employment is terminated, the employing office's responsibility to continue FMLA leave, maintain group health plan benefits and restore the employee ceases at the time the employee is laid off, provided the employing office has no continuing obligations under a collective bargaining agreement or otherwise. An employing office would have the burden of proving that an employee would have been laid off during the FMLA leave period and, therefore, would not be entitled to restoration.
(2) If a shift has been eliminated, or overtime has been decreased, an employee would not be entitled to return to work that shift or the original overtime hours upon restoration. However, if a position on, for example, a night shift has been filled by another employee, the employee is entitled to return to the same shift on which employed before taking FMLA leave.
(b) If an employee was hired for a specific term or only to perform work on a discrete project, the employing office has no obligation to restore the employee if the employment term or project is over and the employing office would not otherwise have continued to employ the employee.
(c) In addition to the circumstances explained above, an employing office may deny job restoration to salaried eligible employees ("key employees," as defined in paragraph (c) of § 825.217) if such denial is necessary to prevent substantial and grievous economic injury to the operations of the employing office; or may delay restoration to an employee who fails to provide a fitness for duty certificate to return to work under the conditions described in § 825.310.
(d) If the employee has been on a workers' compensation absence during which FMLA leave has been taken concurrently, and after 12 weeks of FMLA leave the employee is unable to return to work, the employee no longer has the protections of FMLA and must look to the workers' compensation statute or ADA, as made applicable by the CAA, for any relief or protections.

§825.217 What is a "key employee"?
(a) A "key employee" is a salaried FMLA-eligible employee who is among the highest paid 10 percent of all the employees employed by the employing office within 75 miles of the employee's worksite.
(b) The term "salaried" means paid on a salary basis, within the meaning of the Board's regulations at part 541, implementing section 203 of the CAA (2 U.S.C. 1313) (regarding employees who may qualify as exempt from the minimum wage and overtime requirements of the FLSA, as made applicable by the CAA, as executive, administrative, and professional employees).
(c) A "key employee" must be "among the highest paid 10 percent" of all the employees ‹ both salaried and non-salaried, eligible and ineligible ‹ who are employed by the employing office within 75 miles of the worksite.

(1) In determining which employees are among the highest paid 10 percent, year-to-date earnings are divided by weeks worked by the employee (including weeks in which paid leave was taken). Earnings include wages, premium pay, incentive pay, and non-discretionary and discretionary bonuses. Earnings do not include incentives whose value is determined at some future date, e.g., benefits or perquisites.
(2) The determination of whether a salaried employee is among the highest paid 10 percent shall be made at the time the employee gives notice of the need for leave. No more than 10 percent of the employing office's employees within 75 miles of the worksite may be "key employees."

§825.218 What does "substantial and grievous economic injury" mean?
(a) In order to deny restoration to a key employee, an employing office must determine that the restoration of the employee to employment will cause "substantial and grievous economic injury" to the operations of the employing office, not whether the absence of the employee will cause such substantial and grievous injury.
(b) An employing office may take into account its ability to replace on a temporary basis (or temporarily do without) the employee on FMLA leave. If permanent replacement is unavoidable, the cost of then reinstating the employee can be considered in evaluating whether substantial and grievous economic injury will occur from restoration; in other words, the effect on the operations of the employing office of reinstating the employee in an equivalent position.
(c) A precise test cannot be set for the level of hardship or injury to the employing office which must be sustained. If the reinstatement of a "key employee" threatens the economic viability of the employing office, that would constitute "substantial and grievous economic injury." A lesser injury which causes substantial, long-term economic injury would also be sufficient. Minor inconveniences and costs that the employing office would experience in the normal course would certainly not constitute "substantial and grievous economic injury."
(d) FMLA's "substantial and grievous economic injury" standard is different from and more stringent than the "undue hardship" test under the ADA (see, also § 825.702).

§825.219 What are the rights of a key employee?
(a) An employing office which believes that reinstatement may be denied to a key employee, must give written notice to the employee at the time the employee gives notice of the need for FMLA leave (or when FMLA leave commences, if earlier) that he or she qualifies as a key employee. At the same time, the employing office must also fully inform the employee of the potential consequences with respect to reinstatement and maintenance of health benefits if the employing office should determine that substantial and grievous economic injury to the employing office's operations will result if the employee is reinstated from FMLA leave. If such notice cannot be given immediately because of the need to determine whether the employee is a key employee, it shall be given as soon as practicable after being notified of a need for leave (or the commencement of leave, if earlier). It is expected that in most circumstances there will be no desire that an employee be denied restoration after FMLA leave and, therefore, there would be no need to provide such notice. However, an employing office who fails to provide such timely notice will lose its right to deny restoration even if substantial and grievous economic injury will result from reinstatement.
(b) As soon as an employing office makes a good faith determination, based on the facts available, that substantial and grievous economic injury to its operations will result if a key employee who has given notice of the need for FMLA leave or is using FMLA leave is reinstated, the employing office shall notify the employee in writing of its determination, that it cannot deny FMLA leave, and that it intends to deny restoration to employment on completion of the FMLA leave. It is anticipated that an employing office will ordinarily be able to give such notice prior to the employee starting leave. The employing office must serve this notice either in person or by certified mail. This notice must explain the basis for the employing office's finding that substantial and grievous economic injury will result, and, if leave has commenced, must provide the employee a reasonable time in which to return to work, taking into account the circumstances, such as the length of the leave and the urgency of the need for the employee to return.
(c) If an employee on leave does not return to work in response to the employing office's notification of intent to deny restoration, the employee continues to be entitled to maintenance of health benefits and the employing office may not recover its cost of health benefit premiums. A key employee's rights under FMLA continue unless and until either the employee gives notice that he or she no longer wishes to return to work, or the employing office actually denies reinstatement at the conclusion of the leave period.
(d) After notice to an employee has been given that substantial and grievous economic injury will result if the employee is reinstated to employment, an employee is still entitled to request reinstatement at the end of the leave period even if the employee did not return to work in response to the employing office's notice. The employing office must then again determine whether there will be substantial and grievous economic injury from reinstatement, based on the facts at that time. If it is determined that substantial and grievous economic injury will result, the employing office shall notify the employee in writing (in person or by certified mail) of the denial of restoration.

§825.220 How are employees protected who request leave or otherwise assert FMLA rights?
(a) The FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA, prohibits interference with an employee's rights under the law, and with legal proceedings or inquiries relating to an employee's rights. More specifically, the law contains the following employee protections:

(1) An employing office is prohibited from interfering with, restraining, or denying the exercise of (or attempts to exercise) any rights provided by the FMLA as made applicable by the CAA.
(2) An employing office is prohibited from discharging or in any other way discriminating against any covered employee (whether or not an eligible employee) for opposing or complaining about any unlawful practice under the FMLA as made applicable by the CAA.
(3) All employing offices are prohibited from discharging or in any other way discriminating against any covered employee (whether or not an eligible employee) because that covered employee has ‹
(i) Filed any charge, or has instituted (or caused to be instituted) any proceeding under or related to the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA;
(ii) Given, or is about to give, any information in connection with an inquiry or proceeding relating to a right under the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA;
(iii) Testified, or is about to testify, in any inquiry or proceeding relating to a right under the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA.
(b) Any violations of the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA, or of these regulations constitute interfering with, restraining, or denying the exercise of rights provided by the FMLA as made applicable by the CAA. "Interfering with" the exercise of an employee's rights would include, for example, not only refusing to authorize FMLA leave, but discouraging an employee from using such leave. It would also include manipulation by covered an employing office to avoid responsibilities under FMLA, for example:
(1) [Reserved];
(2) changing the essential functions of the job in order to preclude the taking of leave;
(3) reducing hours available to work in order to avoid employee eligibility.

(c) An employing office is prohibited from discriminating against employees or prospective employees who have used FMLA leave. For example, if an employee on leave without pay would otherwise be entitled to full benefits (other than health benefits), the same benefits would be required to be provided to an employee on unpaid FMLA leave. By the same token, employing offices cannot use the taking of FMLA leave as a negative factor in employment actions, such as hiring, promotions or disciplinary actions; nor can FMLA leave be counted under "no fault" attendance policies.
(d) Employees cannot waive, nor may employing offices induce employees to waive, their rights under FMLA. For example, employees (or their collective bargaining representatives) cannot "trade off" the right to take FMLA leave against some other benefit offered by the employing office. This does not prevent an employee's voluntary and uncoerced acceptance (not as a condition of employment) of a "light duty" assignment while recovering from a serious health condition (see § 825.702(d)). In such a circumstance the employee's right to restoration to the same or an equivalent position is available until 12 weeks have passed within the 12-month period, including all FMLA leave taken and the period of "light duty."
(e) Covered employees, and not merely eligible employees, are protected from retaliation for opposing (e.g., file a complaint about) any practice which is unlawful under the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA. They are similarly protected if they oppose any practice which they reasonably believe to be a violation of the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA or regulations.

SUBPART C -- How do Employees Learn of Their Rights and Obligations under the FMLA, as Made Applicable by the CAA, and What Can an Employing Office Require of an Employee?

§825.300 [Reserved]

§825.301 What notices to employees are required of employing offices under the FMLA as made applicable by the CAA?
(a)(1) If an employing office has any eligible employees and has any written guidance to employees concerning employee benefits or leave rights, such as in an employee handbook, information concerning both entitlements and employee obligations under the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA, must be included in the handbook or other document. For example, if an employing office provides an employee handbook to all employees that describes the employing office's policies regarding leave, wages, attendance, and similar matters, the handbook must incorporate information on FMLA rights and responsibilities and the employing office's policies regarding the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA. Informational publications describing the provisions of the FMLA as made applicable by the CAA are available from the Office of Compliance and may be incorporated in such employing office handbooks or written policies.

(2) If such an employing office does not have written policies, manuals, or handbooks describing employee benefits and leave provisions, the employing office shall provide written guidance to an employee concerning all the employee's rights and obligations under the FMLA as made applicable by the CAA. This notice shall be provided to employees each time notice is given pursuant to paragraph (b), and in accordance with the provisions of that paragraph. Employing offices may duplicate and provide the employee a copy of the FMLA Fact Sheet available from the Office of Compliance to provide such guidance.
(b)(1) The employing office shall also provide the employee with written notice detailing the specific expectations and obligations of the employee and explaining any consequences of a failure to meet these obligations. The written notice must be provided to the employee in a language in which the employee is literate. Such specific notice must include, as appropriate:
(i) that the leave will be counted against the employee's annual FMLA leave entitlement (see § 825.208);
(ii) any requirements for the employee to furnish medical certification of a serious health condition and the consequences of failing to do so (see § 825.305);
(iii) the employee's right to substitute paid leave and whether the employing office will require the substitution of paid leave, and the conditions related to any substitution;
(iv) any requirement for the employee to make any premium payments to maintain health benefits and the arrangements for making such payments (see § 825.210), and the possible consequences of failure to make such payments on a timely basis (i.e., the circumstances under which coverage may lapse);
(v) any requirement for the employee to present a fitness-for-duty certificate to be restored to employment (see § 825.310);
(vi) the employee's status as a "key employee" and the potential consequence that restoration may be denied following FMLA leave, explaining the conditions required for such denial (see § 825.218);
(vii) the employee's right to restoration to the same or an equivalent job upon return from leave (see §§ 825.214 and 825.604); and,
(viii) the employee's potential liability for payment of health insurance premiums paid by the employing office during the employee's unpaid FMLA leave if the employee fails to return to work after taking FMLA leave (see § 825.213).
(2) The specific notice may include other information ‹ e.g., whether the employing office will require periodic reports of the employee's status and intent to return to work, but is not required to do so. A prototype notice is contained in Appendix D of this part, or may be obtained from the Office of Compliance, which employing offices may adapt for their use to meet these specific notice requirements.
(c) Except as provided in this subparagraph, the written notice required by paragraph (b) (and by subparagraph (a)(2) where applicable) must be provided to the employee no less often than the first time in each six-month period that an employee gives notice of the need for FMLA leave (if FMLA leave is taken during the six-month period). The notice shall be given within a reasonable time after notice of the need for leave is given by the employee -- within one or two business days if feasible. If leave has already begun, the notice should be mailed to the employee's address of record.
(1) If the specific information provided by the notice changes with respect to a subsequent period of FMLA leave during the six-month period, the employing office shall, within one or two business days of receipt of the employee's notice of need for leave, provide written notice referencing the prior notice and setting forth any of the information in subparagraph (b) which has changed. For example, if the initial leave period were paid leave and the subsequent leave period would be unpaid leave, the employing office may need to give notice of the arrangements for making premium payments.
(2)(i) Except as provided in subparagraph (ii), if the employing office is requiring medical certification or a "fitness-for-duty" report, written notice of the requirement shall be given with respect to each employee notice of a need for leave.
(ii) Subsequent written notification shall not be required if the initial notice in the six- month period and the employing office handbook or other written documents (if any) describing the employing office's leave policies, clearly provided that certification or a "fitness-for-duty" report would be required (e.g., by stating that certification would be required in all cases, by stating that certification would be required in all cases in which leave of more than a specified number of days is taken, or by stating that a "fitness-for-duty" report would be required in all cases for back injuries for employees in a certain occupation). Where subsequent written notice is not required, at least oral notice shall be provided. (See § 825.305(a).)
(d) Employing offices are also expected to responsively answer questions from employees concerning their rights and responsibilities under the FMLA as made applicable under the CAA.
(e) Employing offices furnishing FMLA-required notices to sensory impaired individuals must also comply with all applicable requirements under law.
(f) If an employing office fails to provide notice in accordance with the provisions of this section, the employing office may not take action against an employee for failure to comply with any provision required to be set forth in the notice.

§825.302 What notice does an employee have to give an employing office when the need for FMLA leave is foreseeable?
(a) An employee must provide the employing office at least 30 days advance notice before FMLA leave is to begin if the need for the leave is foreseeable based on an expected birth, placement for adoption or foster care, or planned medical treatment for a serious health condition of the employee or of a family member. If 30 days notice is not practicable, such as because of a lack of knowledge of approximately when leave will be required to begin, a change in circumstances, or a medical emergency, notice must be given as soon as practicable. For example, an employee's health condition may require leave to commence earlier than anticipated before the birth of a child. Similarly, little opportunity for notice may be given before placement for adoption. Whether the leave is to be continuous or is to be taken intermittently or on a reduced schedule basis, notice need only be given one time, but the employee shall advise the employing office as soon as practicable if dates of scheduled leave change or are extended, or were initially unknown.
(b) "As soon as practicable" means as soon as both possible and practical, taking into account all of the facts and circumstances in the individual case. For foreseeable leave where it is not possible to give as much as 30 days notice, "as soon as practicable" ordinarily would mean at least verbal notification to the employing office within one or two business days of when the need for leave becomes known to the employee.
(c) An employee shall provide at least verbal notice sufficient to make the employing office aware that the employee needs FMLA-qualifying leave, and the anticipated timing and duration of the leave. The employee need not expressly assert rights under the FMLA as made applicable by the CAA, or even mention the FMLA, but may only state that leave is needed for an expected birth or adoption, for example. The employing office should inquire further of the employee if it is necessary to have more information about whether FMLA leave is being sought by the employee, and obtain the necessary details of the leave to be taken. In the case of medical conditions, the employing office may find it necessary to inquire further to determine if the leave is because of a serious health condition and may request medical certification to support the need for such leave (see § 825.305).
(d) An employing office may also require an employee to comply with the employing office's usual and customary notice and procedural requirements for requesting leave. For example, an employing office may require that written notice set forth the reasons for the requested leave, the anticipated duration of the leave, and the anticipated start of the leave. However, failure to follow such internal employing office procedures will not permit an employing office to disallow or delay an employee's taking FMLA leave if the employee gives timely verbal or other notice.
(e) When planning medical treatment, the employee must consult with the employing office and make a reasonable effort to schedule the leave so as not to disrupt unduly the employing office's operations, subject to the approval of the health care provider. Employees are ordinarily expected to consult with their employing offices prior to the scheduling of treatment in order to work out a treatment schedule which best suits the needs of both the employing office and the employee. If an employee who provides notice of the need to take FMLA leave on an intermittent basis for planned medical treatment neglects to consult with the employing office to make a reasonable attempt to arrange the schedule of treatments so as not to unduly disrupt the employing office's operations, the employing office may initiate discussions with the employee and require the employee to attempt to make such arrangements, subject to the approval of the health care provider.
(f) In the case of intermittent leave or leave on a reduced leave schedule which is medically necessary, an employee shall advise the employing office, upon request, of the reasons why the intermittent/reduced leave schedule is necessary and of the schedule for treatment, if applicable. The employee and employing office shall attempt to work out a schedule which meets the employee's needs without unduly disrupting the employing office's operations, subject to the approval of the health care provider.
(g) An employing office may waive employees' FMLA notice requirements. In addition, an employing office may not require compliance with stricter FMLA notice requirements where the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement or applicable leave plan allow less advance notice to the employing office. For example, if an employee (or employing office) elects to substitute paid vacation leave for unpaid FMLA leave (see § 825.207), and the employing office's paid vacation leave plan imposes no prior notification requirements for taking such vacation leave, no advance notice may be required for the FMLA leave taken in these circumstances. On the other hand, FMLA notice requirements would apply to a period of unpaid FMLA leave, unless the employing office imposes lesser notice requirements on employees taking leave without pay.

§825.303 What are the requirements for an employee to furnish notice to an employing office where the need for FMLA leave is not foreseeable?

(a) When the approximate timing of the need for leave is not foreseeable, an employee should give notice to the employing office of the need for FMLA leave as soon as practicable under the facts and circumstances of the particular case. It is expected that an employee will give notice to the employing office within no more than one or two working days of learning of the need for leave, except in extraordinary circumstances where such notice is not feasible. In the case of a medical emergency requiring leave because of an employee's own serious health condition or to care for a family member with a serious health condition, written advance notice pursuant to an employing office's internal rules and procedures may not be required when FMLA leave is involved.
(b) The employee should provide notice to the employing office either in person or by telephone, telegraph, facsimile ("fax") machine or other electronic means. Notice may be given by the employee's spokesperson (e.g., spouse, adult family member or other responsible party) if the employee is unable to do so personally. The employee need not expressly assert rights under the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA, or even mention the FMLA, but may only state that leave is needed. The employing office will be expected to obtain any additional required information through informal means. The employee or spokesperson will be expected to provide more information when it can readily be accomplished as a practical matter, taking into consideration the exigencies of the situation.

§825.304 What recourse do employing offices have if employees fail to provide the required notice?
(a) An employing office may waive employees' FMLA notice obligations or the employing office's own internal rules on leave notice requirements.
(b) If an employee fails to give 30 days notice for foreseeable leave with no reasonable excuse for the delay, the employing office may delay the taking of FMLA leave until at least 30 days after the date the employee provides notice to the employing office of the need for FMLA leave.
(c) In all cases, in order for the onset of an employee's FMLA leave to be delayed due to lack of required notice, it must be clear that the employee had actual notice of the FMLA notice requirements. This condition would be satisfied by the employing office's proper posting, at the worksite where the employee is employed, of the information regarding the FMLA provided (pursuant to section 301(h)(2) of the CAA, 2 U.S.C. 1381(h)(2)) by the Office of Compliance to the employing office in a manner suitable for posting. Furthermore, the need for leave and the approximate date leave would be taken must have been clearly foreseeable to the employee 30 days in advance of the leave. For example, knowledge that an employee would receive a telephone call about the availability of a child for adoption at some unknown point in the future would not be sufficient.

§825.305 When must an employee provide medical certification to support FMLA leave?

(a) An employing office may require that an employee's leave to care for the employee's seriously ill spouse, son, daughter, or parent, or due to the employee's own serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform one or more of the essential functions of the employee's position, be supported by a certification issued by the health care provider of the employee or the employee's ill family member. An employing office must give notice of a requirement for medical certification each time a certification is required; such notice must be written notice whenever required by § 825.301. An employing office's oral request to an employee to furnish any subsequent medical certification is sufficient.
(b) When the leave is foreseeable and at least 30 days notice has been provided, the employee should provide the medical certification before the leave begins. When this is not possible, the employee must provide the requested certification to the employing office within the time frame requested by the employing office (which must allow at least 15 calendar days after the employing office's request), unless it is not practicable under the particular circumstances to do so despite the employee's diligent, good faith efforts.
(c) In most cases, the employing office should request that an employee furnish certification from a health care provider at the time the employee gives notice of the need for leave or within two business days thereafter, or, in the case of unforeseen leave, within two business days after the leave commences. The employing office may request certification at some later date if the employing office later has reason to question the appropriateness of the leave or its duration.
(d) At the time the employing office requests certification, the employing office must also advise an employee of the anticipated consequences of an employee's failure to provide adequate certification. The employing office shall advise an employee whenever the employing office finds a certification incomplete, and provide the employee a reasonable opportunity to cure any such deficiency.
(e) If the employing office's sick or medical leave plan imposes medical certification requirements that are less stringent than the certification requirements of these regulations, and the employee or employing office elects to substitute paid sick, vacation, personal or family leave for unpaid FMLA leave where authorized (see § 825.207), only the employing office's less stringent sick leave certification requirements may be imposed.

§825.306 How much information may be required in medical certifications of a serious health condition?
(a) The Office of Compliance has made available an optional form ("Certification of Physician or Practitioner") for employees' (or their family members') use in obtaining medical certification, including second and third opinions, from health care providers that meets FMLA's certification requirements. (See Appendix B to these regulations.) This optional form reflects certification requirements so as to permit the health care provider to furnish appropriate medical information within his or her knowledge.
(b) The Certification of Physician or Practitioner form is modeled closely on Form WH-380, as revised, which was developed by the Department of Labor (see 29 C.F.R. Part 825, Appendix B). The employing office may use the Office of Compliance's form, or Form WH-380, as revised, or another form containing the same basic information; however, no additional information may be required. In all instances the information on the form must relate only to the serious health condition for which the current need for leave exists. The form identifies the health care provider and type of medical practice (including pertinent specialization, if any), makes maximum use of checklist entries for ease in completing the form, and contains required entries for:

(1) A certification as to which part of the definition of "serious health condition" (see § 825.114), if any, applies to the patient's condition, and the medical facts which support the certification, including a brief statement as to how the medical facts meet the criteria of the definition.
(2)(i) The approximate date the serious health condition commenced, and its probable duration, including the probable duration of the patient's present incapacity (defined to mean inability to work, attend school or perform other regular daily activities due to the serious health condition, treatment therefor, or recovery therefrom) if different.
(ii) Whether it will be necessary for the employee to take leave intermittently or to work on a reduced leave schedule basis (i.e., part-time) as a result of the serious health condition (see § 825.117 and § 825.203), and if so, the probable duration of such schedule.
(iii) If the condition is pregnancy or a chronic condition within the meaning of § 825.114(a)(2)(iii), whether the patient is presently incapacitated and the likely duration and frequency of episodes of incapacity.
(3)(i)(A) If additional treatments will be required for the condition, an estimate of the probable number of such treatments.
(B) If the patient's incapacity will be intermittent, or will require a reduced leave schedule, an estimate of the probable number and interval between such treatments, actual or estimated dates of treatment if known, and period required for recovery if any.
(ii) If any of the treatments referred to in subparagraph (i) will be provided by another provider of health services (e.g., physical therapist), the nature of the treatments.
(iii) If a regimen of continuing treatment by the patient is required under the supervision of the health care provider, a general description of the regimen (see § 825.114(b)).
(4) If medical leave is required for the employee's absence from work because of the employee's own condition (including absences due to pregnancy or a chronic condition), whether the employee:
(i) is unable to perform work of any kind;
(ii) is unable to perform any one or more of the essential functions of the employee's position, including a statement of the essential functions the employee is unable to perform (see § 825.115), based on either information provided on a statement from the employing office of the essential functions of the position or, if not provided, discussion with the employee about the employee's job functions; or
(iii) must be absent from work for treatment.
(5)(i) If leave is required to care for a family member of the employee with a serious health condition, whether the patient requires assistance for basic medical or personal needs or safety, or for transportation; or if not, whether the employee's presence to provide psychological comfort would be beneficial to the patient or assist in the patient's recovery. The employee is required to indicate on the form the care he or she will provide and an estimate of the time period.
(ii) If the employee's family member will need care only intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule basis (i.e., part-time), the probable duration of the need.
(c) If the employing office's sick or medical leave plan requires less information to be furnished in medical certifications than the certification requirements of these regulations, and the employee or employing office elects to substitute paid sick, vacation, personal or family leave for unpaid FMLA leave where authorized (see § 825.207), only the employing office's lesser sick leave certification requirements may be imposed.

§825.307 What may an employing office do if it questions the adequacy of a medical certification?
(a) If an employee submits a complete certification signed by the health care provider, the employing office may not request additional information from the employee's health care provider. However, a health care provider representing the employing office may contact the employee's health care provider, with the employee's permission, for purposes of clarification and authenticity of the medical certification.

(1) If an employee is on FMLA leave running concurrently with a workers' compensation absence, and the provisions of the workers' compensation statute permit the employing office or the employing office's representative to have direct contact with the employee's workers' compensation health care provider, the employing office may follow the workers' compensation provisions.
(2) An employing office that has reason to doubt the validity of a medical certification may require the employee to obtain a second opinion at the employing office's expense. Pending receipt of the second (or third) medical opinion, the employee is provisionally entitled to the benefits of the FMLA as made applicable by the CAA, including maintenance of group health benefits. If the certifications do not ultimately establish the employee's entitlement to FMLA leave, the leave shall not be designated as FMLA leave and may be treated as paid or unpaid leave under the employing office's established leave policies. The employing office is permitted to designate the health care provider to furnish the second opinion, but the selected health care provider may not be employed on a regular basis by the employing office. See also paragraphs (e) and (f) of this section.
(b) The employing office may not regularly contract with or otherwise regularly utilize the services of the health care provider furnishing the second opinion unless the employing office is located in an area where access to health care is extremely limited (e.g., a rural area where no more than one or two doctors practice in the relevant specialty in the vicinity).
(c) If the opinions of the employee's and the employing office's designated health care providers differ, the employing office may require the employee to obtain certification from a third health care provider, again at the employing office's expense. This third opinion shall be final and binding. The third health care provider must be designated or approved jointly by the employing office and the employee. The employing office and the employee must each act in good faith to attempt to reach agreement on whom to select for the third opinion provider. If the employing office does not attempt in good faith to reach agreement, the employing office will be bound by the first certification. If the employee does not attempt in good faith to reach agreement, the employee will be bound by the second certification. For example, an employee who refuses to agree to see a doctor in the specialty in question may be failing to act in good faith. On the other hand, an employing office that refuses to agree to any doctor on a list of specialists in the appropriate field provided by the employee and whom the employee has not previously consulted may be failing to act in good faith.
(d) The employing office is required to provide the employee with a copy of the second and third medical opinions, where applicable, upon request by the employee. Requested copies are to be provided within two business days unless extenuating circumstances prevent such action.
(e) If the employing office requires the employee to obtain either a second or third opinion the employing office must reimburse an employee or family member for any reasonable "out of pocket" travel expenses incurred to obtain the second and third medical opinions. The employing office may not require the employee or family member to travel outside normal commuting distance for purposes of obtaining the second or third medical opinions except in very unusual circumstances.
(f) In circumstances when the employee or a family member is visiting in another country, or a family member resides in a another country, and a serious health condition develops, the employing office shall accept a medical certification as well as second and third opinions from a health care provider who practices in that country.

§825.308 Under what circumstances may an employing office request subsequent recertifications of medical conditions?
(a) For pregnancy, chronic, or permanent/long-term conditions under continuing supervision of a health care provider (as defined in § 825.114(a) (2)(ii), (iii) or (iv)), an employing office may request recertification no more often than every 30 days and only in connection with an absence by the employee, unless:

(1) Circumstances described by the previous certification have changed significantly (e.g., the duration or frequency of absences, the severity of the condition, complications); or
(2) The employing office receives information that casts doubt upon the employee's stated reason for the absence.
(b)(1) If the minimum duration of the period of incapacity specified on a certification furnished by the health care provider is more than 30 days, the employing office may not request recertification until that minimum duration has passed unless one of the conditions set forth in paragraph (c)(1), (2) or (3) of this section is met.
(2) For FMLA leave taken intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule basis, the employing office may not request recertification in less than the minimum period specified on the certification as necessary for such leave (including treatment) unless one of the conditions set forth in paragraph (c)(1), (2) or (3) of this section is met.
(c) For circumstances not covered by paragraphs (a) or (b) of this section, an employing office may request recertification at any reasonable interval, but not more often than every 30 days, unless:
(1) The employee requests an extension of leave;
(2) Circumstances described by the previous certification have changed significantly (e.g., the duration of the illness, the nature of the illness, complications); or
(3) The employing office receives information that casts doubt upon the continuing validity of the certification.
(d) The employee must provide the requested recertification to the employing office within the time frame requested by the employing office (which must allow at least 15 calendar days after the employing office's request), unless it is not practicable under the particular circumstances to do so despite the employee's diligent, good faith efforts.
(e) Any recertification requested by the employing office shall be at the employee's expense unless the employing office provides otherwise. No second or third opinion on recertification may be required.

§825.309 What notice may an employing office require regarding an employee's intent to return to work?
(a) An employing office may require an employee on FMLA leave to report periodically on the employee's status and intent to return to work. The employing office's policy regarding such reports may not be discriminatory and must take into account all of the relevant facts and circumstances related to the individual employee's leave situation.
(b) If an employee gives unequivocal notice of intent not to return to work, the employing office's obligations under FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA, to maintain health benefits (subject to requirements of COBRA or 5 U.S.C. 8905a, whichever is applicable) and to restore the employee cease. However, these obligations continue if an employee indicates he or she may be unable to return to work but expresses a continuing desire to do so.
(c) It may be necessary for an employee to take more leave than originally anticipated. Conversely, an employee may discover after beginning leave that the circumstances have changed and the amount of leave originally anticipated is no longer necessary. An employee may not be required to take more FMLA leave than necessary to resolve the circumstance that precipitated the need for leave. In both of these situations, the employing office may require that the employee provide the employing office reasonable notice (i.e., within two business days) of the changed circumstances where foreseeable. The employing office may also obtain information on such changed circumstances through requested status reports.

§825.310 Under what circumstances may an employing office require that an employee submit a medical certification that the employee is able (or unable) to return to work (i.e., a "fitness-for-duty" report)?
(a) As a condition of restoring an employee whose FMLA leave was occasioned by the employee's own serious health condition that made the employee unable to perform the employee's job, an employing office may have a uniformly-applied policy or practice that requires all similarly-situated employees (i.e., same occupation, same serious health condition) who take leave for such conditions to obtain and present certification from the employee's health care provider that the employee is able to resume work.
(b) If the terms of a collective bargaining agreement govern an employee's return to work, those provisions shall be applied. Similarly, requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as made applicable by the CAA, that any return-to-work physical be job-related and consistent with business necessity apply. For example, an attorney could not be required to submit to a medical examination or inquiry just because her leg had been amputated. The essential functions of an attorney's job do not require use of both legs; therefore such an inquiry would not be job related. An employing office may require a warehouse laborer, whose back impairment affects the ability to lift, to be examined by an orthopedist, but may not require this employee to submit to an HIV test where the test is not related to either the essential functions of his/her job or to his/her impairment.
(c) An employing office may seek fitness-for-duty certification only with regard to the particular health condition that caused the employee's need for FMLA leave. The certification itself need only be a simple statement of an employee's ability to return to work. A health care provider employed by the employing office may contact the employee's health care provider with the employee's permission, for purposes of clarification of the employee's fitness to return to work. No additional information may be acquired, and clarification may be requested only for the serious health condition for which FMLA leave was taken. The employing office may not delay the employee's return to work while contact with the health care provider is being made.
(d) The cost of the certification shall be borne by the employee and the employee is not entitled to be paid for the time or travel costs spent in acquiring the certification.
(e) The notice that employing offices are required to give to each employee giving notice of the need for FMLA leave regarding their FMLA rights and obligations as made applicable by the CAA (see § 825.301) shall advise the employee if the employing office will require fitness-for-duty certification to return to work. If the employing office has a handbook explaining employment policies and benefits, the handbook should explain the employing office's general policy regarding any requirement for fitness-for-duty certification to return to work. Specific notice shall also be given to any employee from whom fitness-for-duty certification will be required either at the time notice of the need for leave is given or immediately after leave commences and the employing office is advised of the medical circumstances requiring the leave, unless the employee's condition changes from one that did not previously require certification pursuant to the employing office's practice or policy. No second or third fitness-for-duty certification may be required.
(f) An employing office may delay restoration to employment until an employee submits a required fitness-for-duty certification unless the employing office has failed to provide the notices required in paragraph (e) of this section.
(g) An employing office is not entitled to certification of fitness to return to duty when the employee takes intermittent leave as described in § 825.203.
(h) When an employee is unable to return to work after FMLA leave because of the continuation, recurrence, or onset of the employee's or family member's serious health condition, thereby preventing the employing office from recovering its share of health benefit premium payments made on the employee's behalf during a period of unpaid FMLA leave, the employing office may require medical certification of the employee's or the family member's serious health condition. (See § 825.213(a)(3).) The cost of the certification shall be borne by the employee and the employee is not entitled to be paid for the time or travel costs spent in acquiring the certification.

§825.311 What happens if an employee fails to satisfy the medical certification and/or recertification requirements?
(a) In the case of foreseeable leave, an employing office may delay the taking of FMLA leave to an employee who fails to provide timely certification after being requested by the employing office to furnish such certification (i.e., within 15 calendar days, if practicable), until the required certification is provided.
(b) When the need for leave is not foreseeable, or in the case of recertification, an employee must provide certification (or recertification) within the time frame requested by the employing office (which must allow at least 15 days after the employing office's request) or as soon as reasonably possible under the particular facts and circumstances. In the case of a medical emergency, it may not be practicable for an employee to provide the required certification within 15 calendar days. If an employee fails to provide a medical certification within a reasonable time under the pertinent circumstances, the employing office may delay the employee's continuation of FMLA leave. If the employee never produces the certification, the leave is not FMLA leave.
(c) When requested by the employing office pursuant to a uniformly applied policy for similarly-situated employees, the employee must provide medical certification at the time the employee seeks reinstatement at the end of FMLA leave taken for the employee's serious health condition, that the employee is fit for duty and able to return to work (see § 825.310(a)) if the employing office has provided the required notice (see § 825.301(c); the employing office may delay restoration until the certification is provided. In this situation, unless the employee provides either a fitness-for-duty certification or a new medical certification for a serious health condition at the time FMLA leave is concluded, the employee may be terminated. See also § 825.213(a)(3).

§825.312 Under what circumstances may an employing office refuse to provide FMLA leave or reinstatement to eligible employees?
(a) If an employee fails to give timely advance notice when the need for FMLA leave is foreseeable, the employing office may delay the taking of FMLA leave until 30 days after the date the employee provides notice to the employing office of the need for FMLA leave. (See § 825.302.)
(b) If an employee fails to provide in a timely manner a requested medical certification to substantiate the need for FMLA leave due to a serious health condition, an employing office may delay continuation of FMLA leave until an employee submits the certificate. (See §§ 825.305 and 825.311.) If the employee never produces the certification, the leave is not FMLA leave.
(c) If an employee fails to provide a requested fitness-for-duty certification to return to work, an employing office may delay restoration until the employee submits the certificate. (See §§ 825.310 and 825.311.)
(d) An employee has no greater right to reinstatement or to other benefits and conditions of employment than if the employee had been continuously employed during the FMLA leave period. Thus, an employee's rights to continued leave, maintenance of health benefits, and restoration cease under FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA, if and when the employment relationship terminates (e.g., layoff), unless that relationship continues, for example, by the employee remaining on paid FMLA leave. If the employee is recalled or otherwise re-employed, an eligible employee is immediately entitled to further FMLA leave for an FMLA-qualifying reason. An employing office must be able to show, when an employee requests restoration, that the employee would not otherwise have been employed if leave had not been taken in order to deny restoration to employment. (See § 825.216.)
(e) An employing office may require an employee on FMLA leave to report periodically on the employee's status and intention to return to work. (See § 825.309.) If an employee unequivocally advises the employing office either before or during the taking of leave that the employee does not intend to return to work, and the employment relationship is terminated, the employee's entitlement to continued leave, maintenance of health benefits, and restoration ceases unless the employment relationship continues, for example, by the employee remaining on paid leave. An employee may not be required to take more leave than necessary to address the circumstances for which leave was taken. If the employee is able to return to work earlier than anticipated, the employee shall provide the employing office two business days notice where feasible; the employing office is required to restore the employee once such notice is given, or where such prior notice was not feasible.
(f) An employing office may deny restoration to employment, but not the taking of FMLA leave and the maintenance of health benefits, to an eligible employee only under the terms of the "key employee" exemption. Denial of reinstatement must be necessary to prevent "substantial and grievous economic injury" to the employing office's operations. The employing office must notify the employee of the employee's status as a "key employee" and of the employing office's intent to deny reinstatement on that basis when the employing office makes these determinations. If leave has started, the employee must be given a reasonable opportunity to return to work after being so notified. (See § 825.219.)
(g) An employee who fraudulently obtains FMLA leave from an employing office is not protected by job restoration or maintenance of health benefits provisions of the FMLA as made applicable by the CAA.
(h) If the employing office has a uniformly-applied policy governing outside or supplemental employment, such a policy may continue to apply to an employee while on FMLA leave. An employing office which does not have such a policy may not deny benefits to which an employee is entitled under FMLA as made applicable by the CAA on this basis unless the FMLA leave was fraudulently obtained as in paragraph (g) of this section.

SUBPART D - What Enforcement Mechanisms Does the CAA Provide ?

§825.400 What can employees do who believe that their rights under the FMLA as made applicable by the CAA have been violated?
(a) To commence a proceeding, a covered employee alleging a violation of the rights and protections of the FMLA made applicable by the CAA must request counseling by the Office of Compliance not later than 180 days after the date of the alleged violation. If a covered employee misses this deadline, the covered employee will be unable to obtain a remedy under the CAA.
(b) The following procedures are available under title IV of the CAA for covered employees who believe that their rights under FMLA as made applicable by the CAA have been violated:

(1) counseling;
(2) mediation; and
(3) election of either--
(A) a formal complaint, filed with the Office of Compliance, and a hearing before a hearing officer, subject to review by the Board of Directors of the Office of Compliance, and judicial review in the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; or
(B) a civil action in a district court of the United States.
(c) Regulations of the Office of Compliance describing and governing these procedures are found at [proposed rules can be found at 141 Cong. Rec. S17012 (November 14, 1995)].

§825.401 [Reserved]

§825.402 [Reserved]

§825.403 [Reserved]
§825.404 [Reserved]

 

SUBPART E -- [Reserved]

SUBPART F - What Special Rules Apply to Employees of Schools?

§825.600 To whom do the special rules apply?
(a) Certain special rules apply to employees of "local educational agencies," including public school boards and elementary schools under their jurisdiction, and private elementary and secondary schools. The special rules do not apply to other kinds of educational institutions, such as colleges and universities, trade schools, and preschools.
(b) Educational institutions are covered by FMLA as made applicable by the CAA (and these special rules). The usual requirements for employees to be "eligible" apply.
(c) The special rules affect the taking of intermittent leave or leave on a reduced leave schedule, or leave near the end of an academic term (semester), by instructional employees. "Instructional employees" are those whose principal function is to teach and instruct students in a class, a small group, or an individual setting. This term includes not only teachers, but also athletic coaches, driving instructors, and special education assistants such as signers for the hearing impaired. It does not include, and the special rules do not apply to, teacher assistants or aides who do not have as their principal job actual teaching or instructing, nor does it include auxiliary personnel such as counselors, psychologists, or curriculum specialists. It also does not include cafeteria workers, maintenance workers, or bus drivers.
(d) Special rules which apply to restoration to an equivalent position apply to all employees of local educational agencies.

§825.601 What limitations apply to the taking of intermittent leave or leave on a reduced leave schedule?
(a) Leave taken for a period that ends with the school year and begins the next semester is leave taken consecutively rather than intermittently. The period during the summer vacation when the employee would not have been required to report for duty is not counted against the employee's FMLA leave entitlement. An instructional employee who is on FMLA leave at the end of the school year must be provided with any benefits over the summer vacation that employees would normally receive if they had been working at the end of the school year.

(1) If an eligible instructional employee needs intermittent leave or leave on a reduced leave schedule to care for a family member, or for the employee's own serious health condition, which is foreseeable based on planned medical treatment, and the employee would be on leave for more than 20 percent of the total number of working days over the period the leave would extend, the employing office may require the employee to choose either to:
(i) Take leave for a period or periods of a particular duration, not greater than the duration of the planned treatment; or
(ii) Transfer temporarily to an available alternative position for which the employee is qualified, which has equivalent pay and benefits and which better accommodates recurring periods of leave than does the employee's regular position.
(2) These rules apply only to a leave involving more than 20 percent of the working days during the period over which the leave extends. For example, if an instructional employee who normally works five days each week needs to take two days of FMLA leave per week over a period of several weeks, the special rules would apply. Employees taking leave which constitutes 20 percent or less of the working days during the leave period would not be subject to transfer to an alternative position. "Periods of a particular duration" means a block, or blocks, of time beginning no earlier than the first day for which leave is needed and ending no later than the last day on which leave is needed, and may include one uninterrupted period of leave.
(b) If an instructional employee does not give required notice of foreseeable FMLA leave (see § 825.302) to be taken intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule, the employing office may require the employee to take leave of a particular duration, or to transfer temporarily to an alternative position. Alternatively, the employing office may require the employee to delay the taking of leave until the notice provision is met. See § 825.207(h).

§825.602 What limitations apply to the taking of leave near the end of an academic term?
(a) There are also different rules for instructional employees who begin leave more than five weeks before the end of a term, less than five weeks before the end of a term, and less than three weeks before the end of a term. Regular rules apply except in circumstances when:

(1) An instructional employee begins leave more than five weeks before the end of a term. The employing office may require the employee to continue taking leave until the end of the term if ‹
(i) The leave will last at least three weeks, and
(ii) The employee would return to work during the three-week period before the end of the term.
(2) The employee begins leave for a purpose other than the employee's own serious health condition during the five-week period before the end of a term. The employing office may require the employee to continue taking leave until the end of the term if ‹
(i) The leave will last more than two weeks, and
(ii) The employee would return to work during the two-week period before the end of the term.
(3) The employee begins leave for a purpose other than the employee's own serious health condition during the three-week period before the end of a term, and the leave will last more than five working days. The employing office may require the employee to continue taking leave until the end of the term.
(b) For purposes of these provisions, "academic term" means the school semester, which typically ends near the end of the calendar year and the end of spring each school year. In no case may a school have more than two academic terms or semesters each year for purposes of FMLA as made applicable by the CAA. An example of leave falling within these provisions would be where an employee plans two weeks of leave to care for a family member which will begin three weeks before the end of the term. In that situation, the employing office could require the employee to stay out on leave until the end of the term.

§825.603 Is all leave taken during "periods of a particular duration" counted against the FMLA leave entitlement?
(a) If an employee chooses to take leave for "periods of a particular duration" in the case of intermittent or reduced schedule leave, the entire period of leave taken will count as FMLA leave.
(b) In the case of an employee who is required to take leave until the end of an academic term, only the period of leave until the employee is ready and able to return to work shall be charged against the employee's FMLA leave entitlement. The employing office has the option not to require the employee to stay on leave until the end of the school term. Therefore, any additional leave required by the employing office to the end of the school term is not counted as FMLA leave; however, the employing office shall be required to maintain the employee's group health insurance and restore the employee to the same or equivalent job including other benefits at the conclusion of the leave.

§825.604 What special rules apply to restoration to "an equivalent position?"
The determination of how an employee is to be restored to "an equivalent position" upon return from FMLA leave will be made on the basis of "established school board policies and practices, private school policies and practices, and collective bargaining agreements." The "established policies" and collective bargaining agreements used as a basis for restoration must be in writing, must be made known to the employee prior to the taking of FMLA leave, and must clearly explain the employee's restoration rights upon return from leave. Any established policy which is used as the basis for restoration of an employee to "an equivalent position" must provide substantially the same protections as provided in the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA, for reinstated employees. See § 825.215. In other words, the policy or collective bargaining agreement must provide for restoration to an "equivalent position" with equivalent employment benefits, pay, and other terms and conditions of employment. For example, an employee may not be restored to a position requiring additional licensure or certification.


SUBPART G - How Do Other Laws, Employing Office Practices, and Collective Bargaining Agreements Affect Employee Rights Under the FMLA as Made Applicable by the CAA?

§825.700 What if an employing office provides more generous benefits than required by FMLA as Made Applicable by the CAA?
(a) An employing office must observe any employment benefit program or plan that provides greater family or medical leave rights to employees than the rights established by the FMLA. Conversely, the rights established by the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA, may not be diminished by any employment benefit program or plan. For example, a provision of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) which provides for reinstatement to a position that is not equivalent because of seniority (e.g., provides lesser pay) is superseded by FMLA. If an employing office provides greater unpaid family leave rights than are afforded by FMLA, the employing office is not required to extend additional rights afforded by FMLA, such as maintenance of health benefits (other than through COBRA or 5 U.S.C. 8905a, whichever is applicable), to the additional leave period not covered by FMLA. If an employee takes paid or unpaid leave and the employing office does not designate the leave as FMLA leave, the leave taken does not count against an employee's FMLA entitlement.
(b) Nothing in the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA, prevents an employing office from amending existing leave and employee benefit programs, provided they comply with FMLA as made applicable by the CAA. However, nothing in the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA, is intended to discourage employing offices from adopting or retaining more generous leave policies.
(c) [Reserved]

§825.701 [Reserved]

§825.702 How does FMLA affect anti-discrimination laws as applied by section 201 of the CAA?
(a) Nothing in FMLA modifies or affects any applicable law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability (e.g., Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act), as made applicable by the CAA. FMLA's legislative history explains that FMLA is "not intended to modify or affect the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, the regulations concerning employment which have been promulgated pursuant to that statute, or the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, or the regulations issued under that act. Thus, the leave provisions of the [FMLA] are wholly distinct from the reasonable accommodation obligations of employers covered under the [ADA] . . . or the Federal government itself. The purpose of the FMLA is to make leave available to eligible employees and employing offices within its coverage, and not to limit already existing rights and protection." S. Rep. No. 3, 103d Cong., 1st Sess. 38 (1993). An employing office must therefore provide leave under whichever statutory provision provides the greater rights to employees.
(b) If an employee is a qualified individual with a disability within the meaning of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the employing office must make reasonable accommodations, etc., barring undue hardship, in accordance with the ADA. At the same time, the employing office must afford an employee his or her FMLA rights. ADA's "disability" and FMLA's "serious health condition" are different concepts, and must be analyzed separately. FMLA entitles eligible employees to 12 weeks of leave in any 12-month period, whereas the ADA allows an indeterminate amount of leave, barring undue hardship, as a reasonable accommodation. FMLA requires employing offices to maintain employees' group health plan coverage during FMLA leave on the same conditions as coverage would have been provided if the employee had been continuously employed during the leave period, whereas ADA does not require maintenance of health insurance unless other employees receive health insurance during leave under the same circumstances.
(c)(1) A reasonable accommodation under the ADA might be accomplished by providing an individual with a disability with a part-time job with no health benefits, assuming the employing office did not ordinarily provide health insurance for part-time employees. However, FMLA would permit an employee to work a reduced leave schedule until the equivalent of 12 workweeks of leave were used, with group health benefits maintained during this period. FMLA permits an employing office to temporarily transfer an employee who is taking leave intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule to an alternative position, whereas the ADA allows an accommodation of reassignment to an equivalent, vacant position only if the employee cannot perform the essential functions of the employee's present position and an accommodation is not possible in the employee's present position, or an accommodation in the employee's present position would cause an undue hardship. The examples in the following paragraphs of this section demonstrate how the two laws would interact with respect to a qualified individual with a disability.

(2) A qualified individual with a disability who is also an "eligible employee" entitled to FMLA leave requests 10 weeks of medical leave as a reasonable accommodation, which the employing office grants because it is not an undue hardship. The employing office advises the employee that the 10 weeks of leave is also being designated as FMLA leave and will count towards the employee's FMLA leave entitlement. This designation does not prevent the parties from also treating the leave as a reasonable accommodation and reinstating the employee into the same job, as required by the ADA, rather than an equivalent position under FMLA, if that is the greater right available to the employee. At the same time, the employee would be entitled under FMLA to have the employing office maintain group health plan coverage during the leave, as that requirement provides the greater right to the employee.
(3) If the same employee needed to work part-time (a reduced leave schedule) after returning to his or her same job, the employee would still be entitled under FMLA to have group health plan coverage maintained for the remainder of the two-week equivalent of FMLA leave entitlement, notwithstanding an employing office policy that part-time employees do not receive health insurance. This employee would be entitled under the ADA to reasonable accommodations to enable the employee to perform the essential functions of the part-time position. In addition, because the employee is working a part-time schedule as a reasonable accommodation, the employee would be shielded from FMLA's provision for temporary assignment to a different alternative position. Once the employee has exhausted his or her remaining FMLA leave entitlement while working the reduced (part-time) schedule, if the employee is a qualified individual with a disability, and if the employee is unable to return to the same full-time position at that time, the employee might continue to work part-time as a reasonable accommodation, barring undue hardship; the employee would then be entitled to only those employment benefits ordinarily provided by the employing office to part-time employees.
(4) At the end of the FMLA leave entitlement, an employing office is required under FMLA to reinstate the employee in the same or an equivalent position, with equivalent pay and benefits, to that which the employee held when leave commenced. The employing office's FMLA obligations would be satisfied if the employing office offered the employee an equivalent full-time position. If the employee were unable to perform the essential functions of that equivalent position even with reasonable accommodation, because of a disability, the ADA may require the employing office to make a reasonable accommodation at that time by allowing the employee to work part-time or by reassigning the employee to a vacant position, barring undue hardship.
(d)(1) If FMLA entitles an employee to leave, an employing office may not, in lieu of FMLA leave entitlement, require an employee to take a job with a reasonable accommodation. However, ADA may require that an employing office offer an employee the opportunity to take such a position. An employing office may not change the essential functions of the job in order to deny FMLA leave. See § 825.220(b).
(2) An employee may be on a workers' compensation absence due to an on-the-job injury or illness which also qualifies as a serious health condition under FMLA. The workers' compensation absence and FMLA leave may run concurrently (subject to proper notice and designation by the employing office). At some point the health care provider providing medical care pursuant to the workers' compensation injury may certify the employee is able to return to work in a "light duty" position. If the employing office offers such a position, the employee is permitted but not required to accept the position (see § 825.220(d)). As a result, the employee may no longer qualify for payments from the workers' compensation benefit plan, but the employee is entitled to continue on unpaid FMLA leave either until the employee is able to return to the same or equivalent job the employee left or until the 12-week FMLA leave entitlement is exhausted. See § 825.207(d)(2). If the employee returning from the workers' compensation injury is a qualified individual with a disability, he or she will have rights under the ADA.
(e) If an employing office requires certifications of an employee's fitness for duty to return to work, as permitted by FMLA under a uniform policy, it must comply with the ADA requirement that a fitness for duty physical be job-related and consistent with business necessity.
(f) Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, and as made applicable by the CAA, an employing office should provide the same benefits for women who are pregnant as the employing office provides to other employees with short-term disabilities. Because Title VII does not require employees to be employed for a certain period of time to be protected, an employee employed for less than 12 months by any employing office (and, therefore, not an "eligible" employee under FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA) may not be denied maternity leave if the employing office normally provides short-term disability benefits to employees with the same tenure who are experiencing other short-term disabilities.
(g) For further information on Federal anti-discrimination laws applied by section 201 of the CAA (2 U.S.C. 1311), including Title VII, the Rehabilitation Act, and the ADA, individuals are encouraged to contact the Office of Compliance.

SUBPART H - Definitions

§825.800 Definitions.
For purposes of this part:

ADA means the Americans With Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.).

CAA
means the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (Pub. Law 104-1, 109 Stat. 3, 2 U.S.C. 1301 et seq.).

COBRA means the continuation coverage requirements of Title X of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 (Pub. Law 99-272, title X, section 10002; 100 Stat. 227; as amended; 29 U.S.C. 1161-1168).

Continuing treatment means: A serious health condition involving continuing treatment by a health care provider includes any one or more of the following:

(1) A period of incapacity (i.e., inability to work, attend school or perform other regular daily activities due to the serious health condition, treatment therefor, or recovery therefrom) of more than three consecutive calendar days, and any subsequent treatment or period of incapacity relating to the same condition, that also involves:
(i) Treatment two or more times by a health care provider, by a nurse or physician's assistant under direct supervision of a health care provider, or by a provider of health care services (e.g., physical therapist) under orders of, or on referral by, a health care provider; or
(ii) Treatment by a health care provider on at least one occasion which results in a regimen of continuing treatment under the supervision of the health care provider.
(2) Any period of incapacity due to pregnancy, or for prenatal care.
(3) Any period of incapacity or treatment for such incapacity due to a chronic serious health condition. A chronic serious health condition is one which:
(i) Requires periodic visits for treatment by a health care provider, or by a nurse or physician's assistant under direct supervision of a health care provider;
(ii) Continues over an extended period of time (including recurring episodes of a single underlying condition); and
(iii) May cause episodic rather than a continuing period of incapacity (e.g., asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, etc.).
(4) A period of incapacity which is permanent or long-term due to a condition for which treatment may not be effective. The employee or family member must be under the continuing supervision of, but need not be receiving active treatment by, a health care provider. Examples include Alzheimer's, a severe stroke, or the terminal stages of a disease.
(5) Any period of absence to receive multiple treatments (including any period of recovery therefrom) by a health care provider or by a provider of health care services under orders of, or on referral by, a health care provider, either for restorative surgery after an accident or other injury, or for a condition that would likely result in a period of incapacity of more than three consecutive calendar days in the absence of medical intervention or treatment, such as cancer (chemotherapy, radiation, etc.), severe arthritis (physical therapy), kidney disease (dialysis).

Covered employee - The term "covered employee", as defined in the CAA, means any employee of - (1) the House of Representatives; (2) the Senate; (3) the Capitol Guide Service; (4) the Capitol Police; (5) the Congressional Budget Office; (6) the Office of the Architect of the Capitol; (7) the Office of the Attending Physician; (8) the Office of Compliance; or (9) the Office of Technology Assessment.

Eligible employee - The term "eligible employee", as defined in the CAA, means a covered employee who has been employed in any employing office for 12 months and for at least 1,250 hours of employment during the previous 12 months.

Employ means to suffer or permit to work.

Employee means an employee as defined in the CAA and includes an applicant for employment and a former employee.

Employee employed in an instructional capacity. See Teacher.

Employee of the Capitol Police - The term "employee of the Capitol Police" includes any member or officer of the Capitol Police.

Employee of the House of Representatives - The term "employee of the House of Representatives" includes an individual occupying a position the pay for which is disbursed by the Clerk of the House of Representatives, or another official designated by the House of Representatives, or any employment position in an entity that is paid with funds derived from the clerk-hire allowance of the House of Representatives but not any such individual employed by any entity listed in subparagraphs (3) through (9) under "covered employee" above.

Employee of the Office of the Architect of the Capitol - The term "employee of the Office of the Architect of the Capitol" includes any employee of the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, the Botanic Garden, or the Senate Restaurants.

Employee of the Senate - The term "employee of the Senate" includes any employee whose pay is disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate, but not any such individual employed by any entity listed in subparagraphs (3) through (9) under "covered employee" above.

Employing Office - The term "employing office", as defined in the CAA, means:
(1) the personal office of a Member of the House of Representatives or of a Senator;
(2) a committee of the House of Representatives or the Senate or a joint committee;
(3) any other office headed by a person with the final authority to appoint, hire, discharge, and set the terms, conditions, or privileges of the employment of an employee of the House of Representatives or the Senate; or
(4) the Capitol Guide Board, the Capitol Police Board, the Congressional Budget Office, the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, the Office of the Attending Physician, the Office of Compliance, and the Office of Technology Assessment.

Employment benefits means all benefits provided or made available to employees by an employing office, including group life insurance, health insurance, disability insurance, sick leave, annual leave, educational benefits, and pensions, regardless of whether such benefits are provided by a practice or written policy of an employing office or through an employee benefit plan. The term does not include non-employment related obligations paid by employees through voluntary deductions such as supplemental insurance coverage. (See § 825.209(a)).

FLSA means the Fair Labor Standards Act (29 U.S.C. 201 et seq.).

FMLA means the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, Public Law 103-3 (February 5, 1993), 107 Stat. 6 (29 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.).

Group health plan means the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and any other plan of, or contributed to by, an employing office (including a self-insured plan) to provide health care (directly or otherwise) to the employing office's employees, former employees, or the families of such employees or former employees. For purposes of FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA, the term "group health plan" shall not include an insurance program providing health coverage under which employees purchase individual policies from insurers provided that:
(1) no contributions are made by the employing office;
(2) participation in the program is completely voluntary for employees;
(3) the sole functions of the employing office with respect to the program are, without endorsing the program, to permit the insurer to publicize the program to employees, to collect premiums through payroll deductions and to remit them to the insurer;
(4) the employing office receives no consideration in the form of cash or otherwise in connection with the program, other than reasonable compensation, excluding any profit, for administrative services actually rendered in connection with payroll deduction; and,
(5) the premium charged with respect to such coverage does not increase in the event the employment relationship terminates.

Health care provider means:
(1) A doctor of medicine or osteopathy who is authorized to practice medicine or surgery by the State in which the doctor practices; or
(2) Podiatrists, dentists, clinical psychologists, optometrists, and chiropractors (limited to treatment consisting of manual manipulation of the spine to correct a subluxation as demonstrated by X-ray to exist) authorized to practice in the State and performing within the scope of their practice as defined under State law; and
(3) Nurse practitioners, nurse-midwives and clinical social workers who are authorized to practice under State law and who are performing within the scope of their practice as defined under State law; and
(4) Christian Science practitioners listed with the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston, Massachusetts.
(5) Any health care provider from whom an employing office or a group health plan's benefits manager will accept certification of the existence of a serious health condition to substantiate a claim for benefits.
(6) A health care provider as defined above who practices in a country other than the United States, who is licensed to practice in accordance with the laws and regulations of that country.

"Incapable of self-care" means that the individual requires active assistance or supervision to provide daily self-care in several of the "activities of daily living" (ADLs) or "instrumental activities of daily living" (IADLs). Activities of daily living include adaptive activities such as caring appropriately for one's grooming and hygiene, bathing, dressing and eating. Instrumental activities of daily living include cooking, cleaning, shopping, taking public transportation, paying bills, maintaining a residence, using telephones and directories, using a post office, etc.

Instructional employee: See Teacher.

Intermittent leave means leave taken in separate periods of time due to a single illness or injury, rather than for one continuous period of time, and may include leave of periods from an hour or more to several weeks. Examples of intermittent leave would include leave taken on an occasional basis for medical appointments, or leave taken several days at a time spread over a period of six months, such as for chemotherapy.

Mental disability: See Physical or mental disability.

Office of Compliance means the independent office established in the legislative branch under section 301 of the CAA (2 U.S.C. 1381).

Parent means the biological parent of an employee or an individual who stands or stood in loco parentis to an employee when the employee was a child.

Physical or mental disability means a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of an individual. See the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as made applicable by section 201(a)(3) of the CAA (2 U.S.C. 1311(a)(3)).

Reduced leave schedule means a leave schedule that reduces the usual number of hours per workweek, or hours per workday, of an employee.

Secretary means the Secretary of Labor or authorized representative.

Serious health condition entitling an employee to FMLA leave means:
(1) an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves:

(i) Inpatient care (i.e., an overnight stay) in a hospital, hospice, or residential medical care facility, including any period of incapacity (for purposes of this section, defined to mean inability to work, attend school or perform other regular daily activities due to the serious health condition, treatment therefor, or recovery therefrom), or any subsequent treatment in connection with such inpatient care; or
(ii) Continuing treatment by a health care provider. A serious health condition involving continuing treatment by a health care provider includes:
(A) A period of incapacity (i.e., inability to work, attend school or perform other regular daily activities due to the serious health condition, treatment therefor, or recovery therefrom) of more than three consecutive calendar days, including any subsequent treatment or period of incapacity relating to the same condition, that also involves:
(1) Treatment two or more times by a health care provider, by a nurse or physician's assistant under direct supervision of a health care provider, or by a provider of health care services (e.g., physical therapist) under orders of, or on referral by, a health care provider; or
(2) Treatment by a health care provider on at least one occasion which results in a regimen of continuing treatment under the supervision of the health care provider.
(B) Any period of incapacity due to pregnancy, or for prenatal care.
(C) Any period of incapacity or treatment for such incapacity due to a chronic serious health condition. A chronic serious health condition is one which:
(1) Requires periodic visits for treatment by a health care provider, or by a nurse or physician's assistant under direct supervision of a health care provider;
(2) Continues over an extended period of time (including recurring episodes of a single underlying condition); and
(3) May cause episodic rather than a continuing period of incapacity (e.g., asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, etc.).
(D) A period of incapacity which is permanent or long-term due to a condition for which treatment may not be effective. The employee or family member must be under the continuing supervision of, but need not be receiving active treatment by, a health care provider. Examples include Alzheimer's, a severe stroke, or the terminal stages of a disease.
(E) Any period of absence to receive multiple treatments (including any period of recovery therefrom) by a health care provider or by a provider of health care services under orders of, or on referral by, a health care provider, either for restorative surgery after an accident or other injury, or for a condition that would likely result in a period of incapacity of more than three consecutive calendar days in the absence of medical intervention or treatment, such as cancer (chemotherapy, radiation, etc.), severe arthritis (physical therapy), kidney disease (dialysis).
(2) Treatment for purposes of paragraph (1) of this definition includes (but is not limited to) examinations to determine if a serious health condition exists and evaluations of the condition. Treatment does not include routine physical examinations, eye examinations, or dental examinations. Under paragraph (1)(ii)(A)(2) of this definition, a regimen of continuing treatment includes, for example, a course of prescription medication (e.g., an antibiotic) or therapy requiring special equipment to resolve or alleviate the health condition (e.g., oxygen). A regimen of continuing treatment that includes the taking of over-the-counter medications such as aspirin, antihistamines, or salves; or bedrest, drinking fluids, exercise, and other similar activities that can be initiated without a visit to a health care provider, is not, by itself, sufficient to constitute a regimen of continuing treatment for purposes of FMLA leave.
(3) Conditions for which cosmetic treatments are administered (such as most treatments for acne or plastic surgery) are not "serious health conditions" unless inpatient hospital care is required or unless complications develop. Ordinarily, unless complications arise, the common cold, the flu, ear aches, upset stomach, minor ulcers, headaches other than migraine, routine dental or orthodontia problems, periodontal disease, etc., are examples of conditions that do not meet the definition of a serious health condition and do not qualify for FMLA leave. Restorative dental or plastic surgery after an injury or removal of cancerous growths are serious health conditions provided all the other conditions of this regulation are met. Mental illness resulting from stress or allergies may be serious health conditions, but only if all the conditions of this section are met.
(4) Substance abuse may be a serious health condition if the conditions of this section are met. However, FMLA leave may only be taken for treatment for substance abuse by a health care provider or by a provider of health care services on referral by a health care provider. On the other hand, absence because of the employee's use of the substance, rather than for treatment, does not qualify for FMLA leave.
(5) Absences attributable to incapacity under paragraphs (1)(ii)(B) or (C) of this definition qualify for FMLA leave even though the employee or the immediate family member does not receive treatment from a health care provider during the absence, and even if the absence does not last more than three days. For example, an employee with asthma may be unable to report for work due to the onset of an asthma attack or because the employee's health care provider has advised the employee to stay home when the pollen count exceeds a certain level. An employee who is pregnant may be unable to report to work because of severe morning sickness.

Son or daughter means a biological, adopted, or foster child, a stepchild, a legal ward, or a child of a person standing in loco parentis, who is under 18 years of age or 18 years of age or older and incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability.

Spouse means a husband or wife as defined or recognized under State law for purposes of marriage in the State where the employee resides, including common law marriage in States where it is recognized.

State means any State of the United States or the District of Columbia or any Territory or possession of the United States.

Teacher (or employee employed in an instructional capacity, or instructional employee) means an employee employed principally in an instructional capacity by an educational agency or school whose principal function is to teach and instruct students in a class, a small group, or an individual setting, and includes athletic coaches, driving instructors, and special education assistants such as signers for the hearing impaired. The term does not include teacher assistants or aides who do not have as their principal function actual teaching or instructing, nor auxiliary personnel such as counselors, psychologists, curriculum specialists, cafeteria workers, maintenance workers, bus drivers, or other primarily noninstructional employees.


APPENDIX A to PART 825 - [Reserved]

APPENDIX B to PART 825 ‹ Certification of Physician or Practitioner


Certification of Health Care Provider
(Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
as Made Applicable by the Congressional
Accountability Act of 1995)

1. Employee's Name:

2. Patient's Name (if different from employee):

3. The attached sheet describes what is meant by a "serious health condition" under the Family and Medical Leave Act as made applicable by the Congressional Accountability Act. Does the patient's condition qualify under any of the categories described? If so, please check the applicable category.

(1)___ (2) ___ (3) ___ (4) ___ (5) ___ (6) ___, or None of the above ___

4. Describe the medical facts which support your certification, including a brief statement as to how the medical facts meet the criteria of one of these categories:

5.a. State the approximate date the condition commenced, and the probable duration of the condition (and also the probable duration of the patient's present incapacity if different):

b. Will it be necessary for the employee to take work only intermittently or to work on a less than full schedule as a result of the condition (including for treatment described in Item 6 below)? __________

If yes, give probable duration:

c. If the condition is a chronic condition (condition #4) or pregnancy, state whether the patient is presently incapacitated2 and the likely duration and frequency of episodes of incapacity2:

6.a. If additional treatments will be required for the condition, provide an estimate of the probable number of such treatments:

If the patient will be absent from work or other daily activities because of treatment on an intermittent or part-time basis, also provide an estimate of the probable number and interval between such treatments, actual or estimated dates of treatment if known, and period required for recovery if any:

b. If any of these treatments will be provided by another provided of health services (e.g., physical therapist), please state the nature of the treatments:

c. If a regimen of continuing treatment by the patient is required under your supervision, provide a general description of such regimen (e.g., prescription drugs, physical therapy requiring special equipment):

7.a. If medical leave is required for the employee's absence from work because of the employee's own condition (including absences due to pregnancy or a chronic condition), is the employee unable to perform work of any kind? ______

b. If able to perform some work, is the employee unable to perform any one or more of the essential functions of the employee's job (the employee or the employer should supply you with information about the essential job functions)? ____ If yes, please list the essential functions the employee is unable to perform:

c. If neither a. nor b. applies, is it necessary for the employee to be absent from work for treatment? ______

8.a. If leave is required to care for a family member of the employee with a serious health condition, does the patient require assistance for basis medical or personal needs or safety, or for transportation? ______

b. If no, would the employee's presence to provide psychological comfort be beneficial to the patient or assist in the patient's recovery? _____

c. If the patient will need care only intermittently or on a part-time basis, please indicate the probable duration of this need:


_______________________________ ______________________
(Signature of Health Care Provider) (Type of Practice)


_______________________________ ______________________
(Address) (Telephone number)

To be completed by the employee needing family leave to care for a family member:

State the care you will provide and an estimate of the period during which care will be provided, including a schedule if leave is to be taken intermittently or if it will be necessary for you to work less than a full schedule:

_______________________________ ______________________
(Employee signature) (Date)


A "Serious Health Condition" means an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves one of the following:

1. Hospital Care

Inpatient care (i.e., an overnight stay) in a hospital, hospice, or residential medical care facility, including any period of incapacity2 or subsequent treatment in connection with or consequent to such inpatient care.

2. Absence Plus Treatment

(a) A period of incapacity2 of more than three consecutive calendar days (including any subsequent treatment or period of incapacity2 relating to the same condition), that also involves:

(1) Treatment two or more times by a health care provider, by a nurse or physician's assistant under direct supervision of a health care provider, or by a provider of health care services (e.g., physical therapist) under orders of, or on referral by, a health care provider: or

(2) Treatment by a health care provider on at least one occasion which results in a regimen of continuing treatment under the supervision of the health care provider.

3. Pregnancy

Any period of incapacity due to pregnancy, or for prenatal care.

4. Chronic Conditions Requiring Treatments

A chronic condition which:

(1) Requires periodic visits for treatment by a health care provider, or by a nurse or physician's assistant under direct supervision of a health care provider;

(2) Continues over an extended period of time (including recurring episodes of a single underlying condition); and

(3) May cause episodic rather than a continuing period of incapacity2 (e.g., asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, etc.)

5. Permanent/Long-term Conditions Requiring Supervision

A period of incapacity2 which is permanent or long-term due to a condition for which treatment may not be effective. The employee or family member must be under the continuing supervision of, but need not be receiving active treatment by, a health care provider. Examples include Alzheimer's, a severe stroke, or the terminal stages of a disease.

6. Multiple Treatments (Non-Chronic Conditions)

Any period of absence to receive multiple treatments (including any period of recovery therefrom) by a health care provider or by a provider of health care services under orders of, or on referral by, a health care provider, either for restorative surgery after an accident or other injury, or for a condition that would likely result in a period of incapacity2 of more than three consecutive calendar days in the absence of medical intervention or treatment, such as cancer (chemotherapy, radiation, etc.), severe arthritis (physical therapy), kidney disease (dialysis). APPENDIX C to Part 825 ‹ [Reserved]
APPENDIX D to Part 825 - Prototype Notice: Employing Office Response
to Employee Request for Family and Medical Leave

Employing Office Response to Employee
Request for Family or Medical Leave

(Optional use form - see § 825.301(b)(1) of the regulations of the Office of Compliance)

(Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993,
as made applicable by the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995)


(Date)


TO :
(Employee's name)

FROM:
(Name of appropriate employing office representative)

SUBJECT: Request for Family/Medical Leave

On , you notified us of your need to take family/medical leave due to:
(date)
_ the birth of your child, or the placement of a child with you for adoption or foster care; or

_ a serious health condition that makes you unable to perform the essential functions of your job; or

_ a serious health condition affecting your _ spouse, _ child, _ parent, for which you are needed to provide care.

You notified us that you need this leave beginning on and that you expect leave to continue until on or about . (date)
(date)

Except as explained below, you have a right under the FMLA, as made applicable by the CAA, for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave in a 12-month period for the reasons listed above. Also, your health benefits must be maintained during any period of unpaid leave under the same conditions as if you continued to work, and you must be reinstated to the same or an equivalent job with the same pay, benefits, and terms and conditions of employment on your return from leave. If you do not return to work following FMLA leave for a reason other than: (1) the continuation, recurrence, or onset of a serious health condition which would entitle you to FMLA leave; or (2) other circumstances beyond your control, you may be required to reimburse us for our share of health insurance premiums paid on your behalf during your FMLA leave.

This is to inform you that: (check appropriate boxes; explain where indicated)

1. You are _ eligible _ not eligible for leave under the FMLA as made applicable by the CAA.

2. The requested leave _ will _ will not be counted against your annual FMLA leave entitlement.

3. You _ will _ will not be required to furnish medical certification of a serious health condition. If required, you must furnish certification by (insert date) (must be at least 15 days after you are notified of this requirement) or we may delay the commencement of your leave until the certification is submitted.

4. You may elect to substitute accrued paid leave for unpaid FMLA leave. We _ will _ will not require that you substitute accrued paid leave for unpaid FMLA leave. If paid leave will be used the following conditions will apply: (Explain)

5(a). If you normally pay a portion of the premiums for your health insurance, these payments will continue during the period of FMLA leave. Arrangements for payment have been discussed with you and it is agreed that you will make premium payments as follows: (Set forth dates, e.g., the 10th of each month, or pay periods, etc. that specifically cover the agreement with the employee.)

(b). You have a minimum 30-day (or, indicate longer period, if applicable) grace period in which to make premium payments. If payment is not made timely, your group health insurance may be canceled, provided we notify you in writing at least 15 days before the date that your health coverage will lapse, or, at our option, we may pay your share of the premiums during FMLA leave, and recover these payments from you upon your return to work. We _ will _ will not pay your share of health insurance premiums while you are on leave.

(c). We _ will _ will not do the same with other benefits (e.g., life insurance, disability insurance, etc.) while you are on FMLA leave. If we do pay your premiums for other benefits, when you return from leave you _ will _ will not be expected to reimburse us for the payments made on your behalf.

6. You _ will _ will not be required to present a fitness-for-duty certificate prior to being restored to employment. If such certification is required but not received, your return to work may be delayed until the certification is provided.

7(a). You _ are _ are not a "key employee" as described in §825.218 of the Office of Compliance's FMLA regulations. If you are a "key employee," restoration to employment may be denied following FMLA leave on the grounds that such restoration will cause substantial and grievous economic injury to us.

(b). We _ have _ have not determined that restoring you to employment at the conclusion of FMLA leave will cause substantial and grievous economic harm to us. (Explain (a) and/or (b) below. See §825.219 of the Office of Compliance's FMLA regulations.)

8. While on leave, you _ will _ will not be required to furnish us with periodic reports every (indicate interval of periodic reports, as appropriate for the particular leave situation) of your status and intent to return to work (see §825.309 of the Office of Compliance's FMLA regulations). If the circumstances of your leave change and you are able to return to work earlier than the date indicated on the reverse side of this form, you _ will _ will not be required to notify us at least two work days prior to the date you intend to report for work.

9. You _ will _ will not be required to furnish recertification relating to a serious health condition. (Explain below, if necessary, including the interval between certifications as prescribed in §825.308 of the Office of Compliance's FMLA regulations.)

APPENDIX E to Part 825 -- [Reserved]

 

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