When it comes to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), you should really be paying attention to the forms that are available to you. If you are unsure of what the FMLA is, well, it merely entitles eligible employees of employers that are covered to take leave.
The leave that is taken will be unpaid, but your job will be protected while you are away on your specified leave. As an eligible employee, you will be entitled to:
- Twelve working weeks of leave over the space of one year for a range of reasons.
- Twenty-six work weeks of leave over a one-year period for a more serious injury or illness.
In this post, we are going to be taking a brief look at some of the forms you should be reviewing when it comes to FMLA.
What Forms Are There?
WH-308-E Certification Of Health Care Provider For Employee’s Serious Health Condition
- This form is laid out for you to establish to your employer any serious health condition that would require FMLA-protected leave.
WH-308-F Certification Of Health Care Provider For A Family Member’s Serious Health Condition
- This version of the form only differs slightly from the last in the fact that it will contain medical information in regard to a family member that you may need to have FMLA-protected leave for.
WH-381 Notice Of Eligibility And Rights & Responsibilities
- The form WH-381 is an FMLA form that needs to be completed by the employer. In short, the employer must be able to show that the employee has worked for the company for a minimum of 12 months. On top of this, the employer must also show that the employee has completed a total of 1,250 working hours in the 12 months that precede the leave request.
WH-382 Designation Notice
- The WH-382 is one of the most important FMLA forms for you as an employee. This form will serve as a contract of leave between an employee and an employer. An HR representative generally completes this form, and it will show the amount of leave that will take place down to the nearest hour.
WH-384 Certification Of Qualifying Exigency For Military Family Leave
- The 384 specific forms can, in certain cases, cover a family member for up to 12 weeks leave in the case of a family member being called for active duty or being injured in the line of duty. Circumstances like these are known as qualifying exigencies.
WH-385 Certification For Serious Injury Or Illness Of Covered Service Member – For Military Family Leave
- The WH-385 form is in many ways similar to the WH-384 but will cover more areas when it comes to injury of the covered service member.
WH-385-V Certification For Serious Injury Or Illness Of A Veteran For Military Caregiver Leave
- The final form is the WH-385-V form. This form is to be completed by both the caregiver and the veteran’s healthcare provider. Most of the time, this form will need to be submitted along with the WH-385.