Test Three- Chapter Eleven
FMLA covers the following employers
Public employers of any size, private companies with 50+ employees,
T or F: A medical condition requires more than a disability
True
T or F: An FMLA leave must be treated as continued service for the purpose of vesting and eligibility to participate in pensions and other retirement plans
True
T or F: COBRA coverage may occur when the employer's obligations to maintain coverage under the FMLA expire
True
T or F: Coverage under FMLA is not COBRA coverage
True
T or F: Employers may not exclude prescription contraceptives from coverage
True
T or F: FMLA leave is not a qualifying event for COBRA
True
T or F: GINA will not preempt state and local laws that offer more extensive genetic information discrimination protection
True
T or F: It is the employer's responsibility to recognize that a leave falls under the FMLA
True
T or F: Leave does not have to be used in a single, continuous 12-week period
True
T or F: Pregnancy may be a qualifying event under the FMLA
True
T or F: The FMLA requires an employer to maintain coverage under any group plan for an employee on a qualified leave
True
T or F: Time spent fulfilling an employee's military service obligation counts toward the time requirements
True
T or F: companies with fewer than 50 employees at one worksite may still be covered under FMLA if the employer has at least 50 employees within 75 miles of that worksite
True
T or F: employer can select how to calculate the 12 month period
True
T or F: • An employer is required to restore the employee to the same position he or she held before the leave began OR to an equivalent position with equivalent benefits, pay, and other terms and conditions of employment
True
T or F: • An employer may require an eligible employee to use any accrued paid vacation or sick leave toward the FMLA leave
True
T or F: Employers may not discriminate on the basis of abortion
True but are not required to cover abortion costs
Notification Rules of FMLA
Within 5 business days of learning that an employee's leave may qualify under the FMLA, an employer must provide notice of the potential eligibility for leave along with a notice of rights and responsibilities, The employer must also notify the employee of its determination of eligibility for FMLA leave within 5 business days, If an employee suffers harm due to an employer's failure to comply with the notice requirements, the employer may be liable for the employee's out-of-pocket costs
Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconstruction Act (COBRA)
a federal law providing some employees with the ability to continue health insurance coverage for a limited time after leaving employment
Qualifying exigencies include
a variety of issues related to a family member's active duty responsibilities
"Benevolent" discrimination stereotyping
adverse employment decisions based on gender stereotypes that are well-intentioned and may be perceived by the employer to be in the employee's best interest
USERRA applies to
all employers
Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA)
amending Title VII, prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions
The FMLA defines a serious medical condition as:
an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves inpatient care in a hospital, hospice, or residential medical care facility; or continuing treatment by a health care provider
If an employee chooses not to retain health coverage during FMLA leave,
benefits must be reinstated to the same level they were pre-leave without any qualifying period, physical examination, or exclusions for pre-existing conditions
Employer may select a method,
but method must be the same for all employee
Protection from genetic discrimination
constitutional protection, ADA, HIPAA, Title VII
GINA guarantees
privacy of an individual's bona fide medical information
GINA applies to
private employers with 15+ employees, employment agencies, labor unions, and joint labor management training programs
The National Defense Authorization Act amended the FMLA to
provide expanded leave rights to employees to care for service members injured during active duty and for qualifying exigencies
GINA prohibits employers from
requesting, requiring, or purchasing, an applicant's or employee's genetic information, including: A person's "genetic tests," "Genetic tests" of a person's family member, Manifestation of a disease or disorder in a family member, Participation of a person or family member in research that includes genetic testing, counseling, or education
Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) - requires
requires employers to reemploy returning service members in the jobs they would have attained had they not been on active duty
Eligible employees under NDAA may
take up to 26 weeks of unpaid leave in a single 12-month period to care for an immediate family member who is a "covered service member" with a serious injury or illness on the line of duty
To prevail in a case, an associational discrimination plaintiff must prove by direct or circumstantial evidence
that his or her "association" with someone in a protected class was the reason for the adverse employment action
USERRA discrimination claim process
the claimant must prove military service was a "motivating factor" in the adverse employment action, the employer must prove it would have taken the adverse action regardless of the plaintiff's protected military status, the claimant does not have to prove the employer's reason was pretext
USERRA makes it unlawful
to discriminate based on military service
Exceptions allowing an employer to posses prohibited information
where the request was inadvertent, where health or genetic services are offered by the employer under a bona fide employee wellness program, and, the employee provides voluntary written consent, only the employee and the licensed health care professional receive the information, and information is not disclosed to the employer in a way that would identify any specific employee, when required for FMLA or other leave certification, where the employee's medical history is available through commercially and publicly available documents, where information is to be used to monitor the effect
Parental leave ends
12 months from the date of birth, adoption, or foster-care placement
How many days' notice must be given if the leave is foreseeable?
30
PDA applies to
All companies with 15 or more employees; but states may offer extended coverage
The FMLA allows 12 weeks if unpaid leave for:
Birth and care of a newborn, adopted or foster-care child, care for immediate family member with a serious health condition, medical leave for a serious health condition, care for a service member who experienced a serious injury/illness while on active duty, any qualifying exigency from National Guard
The consequences for wrongfully denying FMLA protected rights to an employee include:
Employee's right to a private lawsuit in state or federal court, or administrative enforcement with the US Department of Labor, Lost or denied wages, or if the employee did not suffer a wage loss, the employer is responsible for the employee's out-ofpocket costs for care, including that to family members, Equitable relief, including reinstatement, promotion, and attorneys' fees, and costs, Employer liability for damages and liquidated damages
T or F: PDA requires special concessions for pregnant employees
False
T or F: Workplace Bullying is a recognized tort or cause of action
False
When is the 12 months measured?
From the first day of leave
To be covered under the FMLA, an employee must:
Have worked for the employer for at least 12 months before taking the leave, have worked 1,250 hours within those 12 months and experience a qualifying event and give timely notice to the employer