March 13, 2008

Benefits Selling

Family Medical Leave Act Continues to Increase in Complexity

As the National Defense Authorization Act was recently signed into law, effectively expanding FMLA to give additional coverage to military personnel and their families, employers are already scratching their heads as to how this will affect the administration of additional leave requirements.

This new federal expansion of FMLA has several points of potential confusion, and for virtually any employer with 50 or more employees, FMLA will continue to be a challenge. For brokers and consultants, the ever-complex nature of FMLA presents an opportunity to demonstrate consultative value by helping clients find solutions to FMLA administration. Employers are increasingly looking to outsource this function, according to Jim Brown, vice president of FMLASource, Inc., an affiliate of ComPsych Corporation. He oversees the company’s absence management operations, helping both Fortune 500 and small corporations manage FMLA and other employee absences.