What kind of information can an employer request to determine whether an employee is entitled to FMLA leave?

When employees request FMLA leave for their own or a family member’s serious health condition, the employer can ask the employee to provide a medical certification before approving the FMLA leave. The website for the U.S. Dept. of Labor has a medical certification form that employer’s may use. It asks everything that an employer is permitted to ask, no more and no less, and explains the meaning of certain FMLA terms to the provider filling out the form. You can download the forms here:

• Form WH-380-E, for employee's serious health condition
• Form WH-380-F, for family member's serious health condition

Some other useful Dept. of Labor forms and documents:
Form WH-381: Employer’s response to an employee's request for FMLA leave: http://www.dol.gov/whd/forms/WH-381.pdf

FMLA Fact Sheet #28 from the Dep’t of Labor’s website (may be used to inform employees of their FMLA rights and responsibilities at the time leave is requested): http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs28.pdf

Required FMLA poster:
http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/posters/fmlaen.pdf