Intermittent FMLA: The joke's on us

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

I am interested to hear how you handle intermittent FMLA, something I have come to regard as a scourge. It seems that it is invariably the biggest abusers of sick leave who are granted this status (people who frequently call off with no apparent underlying medical condition). I have had three people on this status, two currently. One is legitimate, the other two are not. I have a relatively small staff to begin with, and this is making it impossible to staff.

I’m sure that the people who authored FMLA had noble intentions, and it has served a lot of people well. However, it is far too easy to qualify, and the program is rife with abuse (particularly the intermittent version).

[JJGRN]

Our hospital has a similar intermittent FMLA policy. It is very frustrating to the staff that are left working short. We try to stay on top of the FMLA absences and once they reach their 12 weeks, their positions are posted. The other thing we started looking for trends... if they always use FMLA on Fridays or weekends, we can show a pattern of use and discipline them for behavior.

[snuggles49]

Even if a pattern is setablished for using FMLA how to you discipline for behaviour ?? It is FMLA.

My facility has mutiple, mutiple people on FMLA. It is the most abused policy ever. Yes it was for good intentions but has been so abused. I would like to see the goverment re-do the policy to make more stringent qualifications esp with intermittent leave (IL)

On my unit alone there are the following: IL for migraines both of these use IL when can't get a day off they need, one used it for study time as we denied her personal intemittent leave Imagine That !, IL for pregnancy/diabetes she also wants for days she doesn't want to work good I hope she uses them all so she has no time off when she delivers guess then she will be bye bye, IL asthma/kidney stone this is same person, IL for husband with chroinc heart problems that works, IL for back aches, IL for mothers dr. appts even though she doesn't live with mother and mother has other children and drives, IL for mother who has cardiac issues/anxiety doesn't live with mom who has a capable husband and 2 other capable children, IL for knee pain, and IL for abd pain etiology unknow. This is one small unit with 23 employees.

Yes IL cripples, you can't find coverage, get told you are creating to much OT if you find coverage We don't even require a note from these people to prove they are being treated or the loved one is. Just take there word knowing they aren't and are laughing about what we can't to about it. AND they get paid for these days. We even pay them Holiday time if they call off then or in the same week, sometimes they get ot because of the way the holiday falls. Unreal.

Ihave even had one tell me she would'nt be working as she needed the day off and would be having a migraine that day Please!!!!. I actually wistnessed an employee fill out her own FMLA papers hand them to the physcian to sign which he did she turned these papers in and now has IL. Yes, I said something and nothing. So I am frustrated to say the least.

[BabyRN1991]

As always...Some people learn how to use the system!!!I understand your pain!

[GHGoonette, BSN, RN]

I'm not quite sure what FMLA stands for; I presume, from your post, that it refers to a combination of sick leave and family responsibility leave, as it is known in my country.

While it is impossible to circumvent the laws of the land, it should be possible to limit abuse by contractual means. In other words, introduce a ruling that "calling in sick" on Fridays, Mondays and over weekends entails that a doctor's certificate must be presented. "Family Responsibility" in my country carries a maximum of 5 days per year. If such leave is taken for a sick child or dependent relative, a doctor's certificate is required, but these rulings are not mandated by law-they are written into the contract which I signed when I joined the company. Doesn't your facility have such conditions?

In my hospital, abusers of sick and FR leave face disciplinary procedures.

[WhitemountainmagicRN]

Hi :)

We have found that are hands are really tied with intermittent FMLA. All you can do is wait the time out, hopefully use per diem/agency( I am sure you are doing everything you can). However with regards to the law it is pretty clear that you can't do anything punitive. We have people who use up one FMLA stent, and then when the time allows again, they go on another one(since you cant use the same one twice) I say shame on the doctors who allow this as well. It is not far removed from fake disability claims.