There are several resources available to help better understand the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) including who is eligible, how much time is available, and how to submit a case to the HR Solution Center.  Check the Time Away from Michigan Medicine page for the FMLA Road Map and others.  

For the remainder of 2020, Expanded FMLA is still available for qualified employees. It makes the last 10 of 12 weeks of FMLA a paid benefit at ⅔ pay. FMLA itself is not a paid benefit but can run concurrently with paid time such as Extended Sick or PTO, if applicable. More information about FMLA and EFMLA is available on the Time Away from Michigan Medicine page.

Tracking is important. In all instances (paid or not-paid), FMLA leave time must be tracked for employees. This is important for both the employee and managers to understand when the 12 weeks starts and ends. Also, for auditing and compliance purposes, it is a requirement to track this time and to take appropriate action during and after the 12 weeks. 

How are the 12 weeks tracked? 

If the employee is being paid, report the FML tracking code on the employees timesheet. This tracking code is reported along with the paid time codes (i.e. ESF, ESP, ESH, PFL, OTB, PEL, PTS, VAC). All time that is considered time off for FMLA reasons must have this FML tracking code reported along with. Add a separate row for the FML tracking code in the timesheet and enter all the hours matching the paid time off hours. It can also be reported with short periods of Unpaid time (i.e. ETW and UET). 

A new FMLA/EFMLA tracker has been created to support department’s track FMLA hours for each employee, include start date and when the employee should return. It is still a requirement to report the FML on the timesheet for all paid and unpaid time that is FMLA eligible.(must download the document to use it). 

All of the COVID-19 audit queries have been updated to include archived data older than 6 months. Please be sure you are using these queries after every payroll to see how much time your employees have remaining in, if any, in each bank. 

Employees should remember to complete all requirements and approvals before using these time banks. 

RPN/PAN Do Not Match: Identifies RPN reported without PAN, PAN without RPN. Input first and last dates of pay period.

• MTL_RPN_PAN_NOT_MATCH_DEPT
• MTL_RPN_PAN_NOT_MATCH_GROUP

RPN/PAN Reported Within Date Range: Identifies RPN/PAN used within the requested date range. Same query is available by static group or department ID.

• MTL_RPN_PAN_GROUP_PAYABLE_DUR
• MTL_RPN_PAN_DEPT_PAYABLE_DUR

PEL Reported Within Date Range: Identifies PEL used within the requested date range. Same query is available by static group or department ID.

• MTL_PEL_GROUP_PAYABLE_DUR
• MTL_PEL_DEPT_PAYABLE_DUR

PFL Reported Within Date Range: Identifies PFL used within the requested date range. Same query is available by static group or department ID.

• MTL_PFL_GROUP_PAYABLE_DUR
• MTL_PFL_DEPT_PAYABLE_DUR

COVID-19 Remaining Balance: Identifies the number of hours remaining in the original COVID-19 PTO bank. Run for March dates only, then subtract the March total from 80 (prorated for part-time employees) to find hours remaining of COVID-19 PTO.

• MTL_RPN_PAN_GROUP_PAYABLE_DUR

• MTL_RPN_PAN_DEPT_PAYABLE_DUR

Employees reporting extended sick and/or no pay hours may lose half or all of their PTO/vacation accrual based on the amount reported in a calendar month.  Because PTO and vacation accruals load at the beginning of the month, prior to any time being reported, it’s important for timekeepers and approvers who are aware the employee may not work the full month to not report the accrual for that month. If the employee has worked half the month, half of the PTO accrual can be reported. The Accrual Reduction Chart details the number of hours of extended sick and/or no pay hours which result in a loss of half or full accrual, by FTE.

Daylight Saving Time ended at 2 a.m. on November 1. For a complete guide to reporting time for staff who worked during the time change, including detailed instructions for punch time entry, refer to the Daylight Saving Time Guide.