To replace the previous documents that expired late last year, The Department of Labor has released new Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) forms concerning medical certification, leave designation and certification related to service member leave.
The new forms are identical to the old ones in every respect other than the expiration date, however, with the latest scheduled to last until February 28, 2015. This is good for human resource professionals from a short-term HR compliance perspective, since it means that use of the expired forms during January and the first half of February 2012 should not cause major problems.
Professionals who hoped to see changes may not be pleased, according to BLR. In the long-term, experts suggest further changes may be forthcoming once the currently proposed FMLA rules are finalized. If the federal agency is waiting to implement new documents until rule changes are determined, they should come out at some point after April 16, when the comment period for the proposed rules is scheduled to end.
Strong HR management software may be helpful in maintaining compliance and tracking data as new rules come into effect.
