1.
Expand coverage
to Employer with fewer employees. The current threshold for
private business is 50 employees.
2.
A more workable
definition of "serious health condition." At present, it's
an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental
condition requiring in-patient care in a hospital or
residential treatment facility, or one that keeps an
employee off the job for 3 days or more, and also requires
continuing treatment from a healthcare provider. Employers’
would like to see changes to the regulation defining a
serious health condition to reflect original congressional
intent and clarify that leave for a serious health condition
was not to cover short-term conditions for which treatment
and recovery are brief. For example, language could be
added to the regulations to exclude common conditions or
illnesses that are not serious, such as a mild case of the
flu, or limiting FMLA coverage to serious health conditions
that require more than 10 days off work, in effect cutting
down the number of covered conditions, and forcing those
employees who do take time to use it up more quickly.
3.
Allowing
greater communication between employers and doctors to
determine the full nature of an employee's health condition
and treatment. Currently Employers are not allowed to
contact the employees’ doctor.
4.
Other hoped-for
changes among employers include altering the regulation
pertaining to intermittent leave. Employers would like it
to be revised to specify a minimal amount of FMLA leave that
is designated as intermittent leave. Some employees now
take an hour or even minutes at a time, creating ongoing
disruption of workflow.
5.
There also may
be clarification of the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act privacy rule and information needed for
FMLA designation. In addition, revised regulations may be
issued regarding the interplay of workers’ compensation
absences, light duty and FMLA leave.
6.
Adding to the
reasons FMLA leave can be taken, for example, allowing
parents to attend conferences with their child's teacher.
