FMLA

Employees have 25 DAYS from their first day of absence to have FMLA forms returned to the Verizon West FMLA team. If an employee is denied, the employee has 14 DAYS to request an administrative review with supporting documentation. This means, employees have a total of 39 DAYS from start to finish, to process FMLA forms.

• Forms must be returned within 25 days of the first day of absence. If you are unsure if these forms are complete, please e-mail me with your name and number and I will call you back.
• Please DO NOT leave the FMLA form at your doctor’s office with the expectation that they will send them back for you. It is the employee’s responsibility to ensure these forms are complete and returned on time to Verizon’s FMLA team.
• Fax these forms back from a fax machine that gives a confirmation page that it was sent successfully. This is your only proof.
• If your doctor is unable to complete these forms within the original 25 days you have only 14 days to request an Administrative Review. If you are denied FMLA for non-receipt of your forms within the first 25 days you will need a note on the doctor’s letterhead stating that his office was either unable to complete the forms within the requested time frame due to workload or he/she was unavailable (i.e.: vacation, out of the country).
• If you have faxed your certification to the FMLA team within the 25-day limit, however, your forms are denied by FMLA, stating they did not receive your forms within the 25 days; you will need to request an Administrative Review and provide the fax confirmation form that proves otherwise. Note: the Administrative Review request MUST be faxed within 14 calendar days from your denial.
• When requesting an Administrative Review you must write “Administrative Review” on the cover sheet and return the supporting documentation, doctor’s note or fax confirmation page along with a complete set of certification forms.
• If you have followed all of these guidelines and are still having an issue please email me and leave your name and number where you can be reached and I will call you back.
• These are general basic rules, feel free to call and discuss your case, and please remember that although there may be specifics to each case, these guidelines should always be followed.
• The law allows the company to run your FMLA concurrent with an approved disability and also for absences that are workers compensation related, as long as those absences do not involve company directed medical appointments, if you have further questions please contact the hall.

Melissa Braswell-FMLA Committee

If you have any questions or issues with your FMLA paperwork, please email mbraswellibew824 [dot] org