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DOL issues report on FMLA

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued a report that contains a comprehensive review of the thousands of public comments received about the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) regulations and their impact in the workplace.

Last December, the DOL published a Request for Information, asking the public for feedback on their experiences with FMLA and seeking comments on a number of specific FMLA topics. The agency says it received more than 15,000 comments.

The comments showed that unscheduled intermittent leave is the single most serious area of friction between employers and employees. Unscheduled intermittent leave appears to have a greater impact on certain types of industries and worksites, says the report. The DOL heard, in particular, from employers whose business operations have a highly time-sensitive component, such as delivery, transportation, telecommunications, health care, assembly line manufacturing, and public safety.

Another major area of concern, among employers, employees and health care providers, is the current medical certification process.

The report includes 10 chapters on key regulatory issues, plus a chapter on the value of FMLA to employees.