FMLAFMLAEmployer’s Employer’s

ResponsibilityResponsibility

Logging inLogging in

Go to Blue Page

Click on TACS

Click on eRMS Home Page

Click on Start eRMS

Then click Here

Enter Username, your TACS password, Database is eRMS06

•All leave is to be input through the eRMS system

Add LeaveAdd Leave

Enter employee’s ID number or Last Name – Then click on Find Highlight employee’s name below then click on Select

Click on date of requested leave

Select Yes to FMLA

If employee calls for existing case request their FMLA case number

If the employee does not know their case number or if the leave is for a new FMLA case click on Request a new FMLA case then choose condition, then click on save

Choose leave type – Click OK

FMLA FMLA ManagemenManagemen

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To view employee’s FMLATo view employee’s FMLA informationinformation

Click on Leave – Then click on FMLA Management

To view different FMLA Cases click on arrow next to case

Action Status (3 Pending) Action Date From – Through

Through date is date documentation is due to FMLA Coordinator

Selected Case

Frequency and Duration information Supervisor’s responsibility to track

Case information as entered by FMLA Coordinator

Long Term condition if checked will send FMLA Coordinator message when leave is applied if through date has expired

Case selected

Action Status

Case information

Dates not protected as FMLA

What’s the importance of asking for the FMLA case # when an employee calls in?

Employee’s may have more than one FMLA case on File. Creating new FMLA cases when not necessary is not Cost effective.

Employee returns to duty after a short absence (not more than 3 days) and requests their absence to be protected under the FMLA,

What should the supervisor do?

If the employee was absent for an FMLA reason and the employer did not learn the reason for the absence until the employee’s return (e.g. where

the employee was absent for only a brief period) the employee may upon the employee’s return to work, promptly (within two business days of the

employee’s return to work) designate the leave retroactively with the appropriate notice to the employee. If the leave is taken for an FMLA

reason and the employer was not aware of the reason, and the employee desires the leave be counted as FMLA leave, the employee must notify the

employer within 2 business days of returning to work. In the absence of such timely notification by the employee the employee may not

subsequently assert FMLA protections for the absence. 29 CFR Ch. V 825.209 (1)

As soon as the employee notifies the supervisor of the request for FMLA (within 2 business days of the employee’s return to work) the supervisor must edit the leave in eRMS to reflect FMLA the same day as the request.

Once the supervisor has input the leave and changed the designation to FMLA the system will send a message to the fulfillment center located at

Topeka, Kansas as well as to the local FMLA Coordinator.

Postal employee: Calls their supervisor to request 8 hours leave, the employee continues to call in for 4

consecutive calendar days.What should the supervisor do?

The supervisor should make sure the employee has one year of service and the required 1250 work hours in the last 26 pay periods. If the supervisor is unsure he is to call the FMLA

Coordinator’s office for assistance.If the employee meets these requirements the supervisor is to edit

the leave in the eRMS system to reflect FMLA. In eRMS go to Leave then Leave Management, find the employee

and click on the first day of the absence then click on the edit button on the right side, click the radio button yes to change the

answer to the question is leave for FMLA. When the screen changes click the radio button to create a new case then click the appropriate category for self or family member save then choose

the same leave type the employee asked for then save.

An employee has been out for over a week and they’re still calling in requesting FMLA Sick leave

The supervisor should send the employee a Notice to Report.

What should you do if and when the employee provides you the documentation that you have requested after the notice to report was sent or requested when documentation was deemed

necessary for the protection of the postal service?

This information must be sent to the FMLA Coordinator’s Office. This may also be the same

information that the coordinator is waiting for in order to qualify the employee’s absence as FMLA.

FMLA DATA Frequency and Duration

It is up to the manager/supervisor to monitor the employee’s frequency and duration of an employee’s FMLA usage for

an approved chronic condition on file.To view this information the manager/supervisor must find the employee in the eRMS system then click on the FMLA

Data button located on the right side of the screen. You must then identify the correct FMLA approved chronic

condition. Information on the condition will be contained in the case comment box. The information for the frequency and duration is located below the comment section. When an employee has breached this time frame you must call your FMLA Coordinator during the employee’s absence.

Sick Leave Dependent CareELM 513 Sick Leave

Non-bargaining unit employees, and bargaining unit employees if provided in their national agreements, are allowed to take up to 80 hours of their accrued sick leave per leave year to give care or otherwise attend to a family member (as defined in 515.2) with an illness, injury, or other condition that, if an employee had such a

condition, would justify the use of sick leave. ELM 515.2 Definitions

The following definitions apply for the purpose of 515:Son or Daughter – biological, adopted, or foster child, stepchild, legal ward, or child who stands in the position of a son or daughter to the employee, who is under 18 years of age or who is 18 or older and incapable of self-care because of mental or

physical disability.Parent – biological parent or individual who stood in that position to the employee

when the employee was a child.Spouse – husband or wife.

Managers and Supervisors: Once an employee has used 80 hours of their sick leave in a leave year the employee is not entitled to use any additional sick

leave to give care to a family member. Any additional time needed to care for a family member would be annual leave or leave without pay. Under FMLA

this rule remains the same.

National Agreements

FMLA is not intended to change bargained-for agreements between employer and employees

Sick Leave for Dependent Care is a paid leave category separate from FMLAUSPS limitation of sick leave for dependent care to 80 hours a postal leave year to

care for a qualified family member should be enforced once the 80 hours are exhausted the employee must use annual leave or leave without pay

Light duty is separate from FMLA, which does not provide a right to a modified position or another position. All light duty information must be sent to the medical

unit to input the information in eRMS and to reviewExample:

An employee needs 160 hours of leave to care for a qualified family member. The employee has provided a complete FMLA Certification and has been

FMLA approved for the time needed to care for the family member. How much sick leave dependent care leave is the employee entitled to under

FMLA?The employee is only entitled to 80 hours of sick leave dependent care any

additional leave would have to be either FMLA Annual leave or FMLA LWOP the employee’s choice. The employee may be entitled to 480 hours of FMLA protected leave but the employer has a restriction on the use of sick leave that can be used

during a postal leave year to care for the family member.

nSupervisor Supervisor CommentsComments

Find the employee, Click on Leave, then click on Supervisor Comments

Enter the Title, Change Share column from N to Y, Enter your comments in the space provided. Do Not use eRMS to record your Discussions.

When an employee submits medical documentation to the supervisor to support their absence:

If the absence is for or related to an FMLA condition the supervisor is to send the documentation to the FMLA Office by mail and they are to call

and or email the FMLA Coordinator that documentation for the employee is being sent. If the supervisor is not sure if the information pertains to an

FMLA condition then they are send it to the FMLA Coordinator so they can make that determination.

If the absence is not for an FMLA condition then the documentation is to be sent to the Medical Unit at (2200 NW 72nd Ave. Miami Fl 33152-9451) so that the documentation may be maintained in the employee’s medical

file. Do not make copies and place in the employee’s station file.

Medical documentation is not to be maintained in an employee’s file at their work location. All medical documentation is to be maintained at the

Medical Unit in the employee’s medical file.

When is documentation to be submitted for an employee’s scheduled absence?

Documentation for an employee’s requested leave in advance must be provided prior to the start of the requested leave.Example: Postal employee is requesting sick leave (six

weeks) for an upcoming surgery as the supervisor you should be provided medical documentation prior to the start of that

leave and that documentation must support the time requested by the employee on the submitted 3971 which

must be completed with a beginning and an ending date. The 3971 should never be accepted as open ended (no return or ending date). This leave may also be qualified as FMLA you

should contact your FMLA Coordinator to discuss the employee’s eligibility and any information that you may have

on the employee’s request for leave.

An employee gets injured on the job can this also be FMLA?

An employee that has an injury on the job may also qualify as an FMLA absence as well. If the injury

meets the criteria of an FMLA condition (the employee has 1250 work hours in the last 26 pay periods and has 1 year of service) the supervisor should also enter and code the leave as FMLA.

Examples:The injury caused the employee to have an overnight

stay in the hospital.The injury has caused the employee to be absent for

more than 3 consecutive calendar days.

Triggers to code leave as FMLA

• Inpatient Hospital Stay / self or family member

• Absence of more than 3 consecutive calendar days

• Pregnancy / Birth of child / Adoption• Employee requests FMLA during call in• Condition sounds serious to you

FMLA Office Location

16000 Pines Blvd.Pembroke Pines, Fl 33082-9654

FMLA Coordinator’s area’s of responsibility:

Christopher Powell: Ph# (954) 436-4362Ft. Lauderdale PO, Hollywood PO, South Florida P&DC, Hialeah,

Homestead, Dania, and all of the Key’s

Reydel Medina: Ph# (954) 436-4497Miami PO, Pompano

Ranard McPhaul: Ph# (954) 436-4474Miami General Mail Facility, L&DC, ISC, Ft. Lauderdale P&DC, Miami

Beach, and Opa-Locka

Fax# (954) 436-4473