I have been asked to complete my FMLA paperwork and was informed that I will need to use my FMLA time to cover any work missed for doctors' appts pertaining to my baby. Is this normal?
I have tried to research it but haven't come up with much. I live and work in Virginia if that makes a difference.
I noticed that rule in my paper work that I'm filling out now. However I can get around it where I work. I actually don't even know how they would know I'm leaving for a doctors appointment. The only people that know when my appointments are are people in my department. However I always get my 40 hours in so that May having something to do with it. We just try and leave HR out of most stuff.
Post by melsamoony on Feb 21, 2014 10:20:19 GMT -5
I shouldn't have much of an issue with it since I usually work overtime anyways it is just frustrating. HR is not really associated with our management team so this is a decision that was made without consultation with management and has taken us all by surpirse.
The US really needs to up its game in terms of maternity protection and coverage.
That's crazy. Luckily I can't imagine it's add up to more than maybe 3 days? More like 2? Especially if you schedule appointments before/after work or during lunch?
I remember a few months ago someone posting about her company having the same rule. Unfortunately, I can't remember who it was to tag.
It was me. I'm in Louisiana and it is definitely legal. I was able to change my schedule to a flex schedule where I only work until 11 on Fridays and scheduled all of my appointments on Friday afternoons. On weeks where I couldn't, I would just make my time up on Fridays. Basically, they wanted anything baby related to come out of FMLA. Even if I had a pregnancy related sickeness (headache, nausea, anything) it would have to come out of my FMLA balance. There were a few times I had to take time off that I didn't want to make up. For those, I would just code my time to annual leave and say it was personal. There is no legal way for them to check up on that.
Thankfully my supervisor is awesome and totally understood why I wanted to "cheat the system" and worked with me.
I still haven't had my baby (I was due 3 days ago) but I still have my 480 hours of FMLA intact, which I'm so thankful for!
Post by melsamoony on Feb 21, 2014 10:48:53 GMT -5
I am just feeling so emotional about this. I feel like they are trying to take time away from me being with my baby.
I understand if I had complications and had to be on bedrest/something that required extensive time missed from work that I would have to use my FMLA. But for routine visits?
I am usually overtime like I said so it shouldn't make a difference it just pisses me off so bad.
I am just feeling so emotional about this. I feel like they are trying to take time away from me being with my baby.
I understand if I had complications and had to be on bedrest/something that required extensive time missed from work that I would have to use my FMLA. But for routine visits?
I am usually overtime like I said so it shouldn't make a difference it just pisses me off so bad.
I understand completely. It REALLY upset me too! It still seems really shady that they would do it this way. But, in the long run, it did work out for me. I thought I should just be able to use my sick leave for the appointments and that should be it. I would have used a lot of sick leave though. So much so that I would probably have had to go back to work early because I would have to be on leave without pay for too long. If you can, change your schedule. Or start building up your time as much as you can.
Also, I found out that my company would ask me the day I got my BPF. They would then go back and change all appointments prior to my announcing at work. That seemed REALLY shady to me also! I had only had two appointments at that point, so I figured out ways to cover them. You may need to try to come up with an excuse if you have any. I know it seems really juvenile to have to lie, but you gotta do what you gotta do!
Post by melsamoony on Feb 21, 2014 11:06:35 GMT -5
swarley thanks for the encouragement. It does seem super shady. My timecard supervisor is pissed too so that should work a little in my favor although I won't make it obvious to her that I am lying/stretching the truth.
The appt I am going to completely conceal is my a/s because I will have to take 2 hours off for that. The rest I should be able to make up.
Well frankly I dunno how it isn't a HIPPA violation. Your employer doesn't and shouldn't know the reason for any medical appointment. If they dig into ins. info that's gotta be a breach of privacy, no?
I remember a few months ago someone posting about her company having the same rule. Unfortunately, I can't remember who it was to tag.
It was me. I'm in Louisiana and it is definitely legal. I was able to change my schedule to a flex schedule where I only work until 11 on Fridays and scheduled all of my appointments on Friday afternoons. On weeks where I couldn't, I would just make my time up on Fridays. Basically, they wanted anything baby related to come out of FMLA. Even if I had a pregnancy related sickeness (headache, nausea, anything) it would have to come out of my FMLA balance. There were a few times I had to take time off that I didn't want to make up. For those, I would just code my time to annual leave and say it was personal. There is no legal way for them to check up on that.
Thankfully my supervisor is awesome and totally understood why I wanted to "cheat the system" and worked with me.
I still haven't had my baby (I was due 3 days ago) but I still have my 480 hours of FMLA intact, which I'm so thankful for!
I'm looking at my FMLA paperwork now. I had my doctor fill it out around 6 months but HR told me I should have done it much sooner. There is a place where the doctor fills in the dates you have have been treated for this "condition" and all of my doctor appointments are listed up until that point. You may want to have this paperwork filled out sooner rather than later so that less appointments can be listed. I'm just now realizing that I could be caught in a lie on one of my appointments. (But, it was on my birthday and I had taken the entire day off prior to even realizing I was pregnant so I'm not too worried!)
The paperwork also asks if I was referred to a different health care provider for evaluation and treatment and what the duration would be. That is how they would find out about any complications, I suppose. I did have marginal previa and it says I would need to be seen every four weeks. I guess they could really question this and push the issue for additional appointments but thankfully my employer did not.
I really don't see any way though how they could charge your FMLA for something minor (i.e. headaches, nausea) unless it becomes a cause of concern for your doctor and she lists it on the FMLA paperwork. If you can, I would suggest completing this as soon as you can.
Post by melsamoony on Feb 21, 2014 13:01:46 GMT -5
Thanks swarley I already have my doctor filling out the paperwork. They cannot retrospectively charge you for time taken before FMLA paperwork is filled out so those appt listed on your paperwork before you filled out the forms cannot come back to haunt you!
I had to take time off early on for spotting and they can't use that against my FMLA time.
I need to go talk to HR about mine, but I wonder if it works the same way for salaried employees. Plus, we only take days off as a half day or a full day, so if they wanted to charge me for an appointment that lasted an hour I guess they'd have to charge the half day, which is ridiculous. Hopefully it won't be an issue.