The Department of Labor (DOL) revised their FMLA posters this month. If you have the 2009 revision hanging in your workplace, it’s time to replace them for the 2013 version. You will find two changes on the new posters.
One of the new additions is expanded special leave entitlements for employees with injured or ill servicemembers. The FMLA is no longer limited to family of current servicemembers. It now covers family of “a veteran who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable at any time during the five-year period prior to the first date the eligible employee takes FMLA leave to care for the covered veteran, and who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy for a serious injury or illness.”
The new poster also indicates exceptions to hours of service eligibility requirements for airline flight crew employees.
Employers who fit the following criteria must post the current FMLA notice:
- Private-sector employer, with 50 or more employees in 20 or more workweeks in the current or preceding calendar year, including a joint employer or successor in interest to a covered employer;
- Public agency, including a local, state, or Federal government agency, regardless of the number of employees;
- Public or private elementary or secondary school, regardless of the number of employees.
If you find yourself in that list, you are required to display – and keep displayed – the DOL’s current FMLA poster which summarizes the major provisions of the FMLA and tells employees how to file a complaint. The poster must be displayed in a conspicuous place where employees and applicants for employment can see it. If your company has more than one location, remember that a poster must be displayed at all locations, even if there are no eligible employees.
The newest version of the poster (WH 1420) is available for downloading from the DOL’s website. You will also find updated FMLA forms available, but not required, to properly process FMLA requests.