Intermittent FMLA: Tips to Stop Banging Your Head Against The Wall - Part 2

A couple of weeks ago, we gave you a [few tips to ease the head pains](http://optis.com/blog/intermittent-fmla-tips-stop-banging-your-head-against-wall) so many HR managers get as a result of managing intermittent FMLA. While we hope our dose of FMLA-aspirin helped, we know that many circumstances beyond what we identified in Part 1 of this series can lead to forehead vs. wall (or desk, or keyboard) combat. One of the major ongoing headaches for HR managers is the potential fraud that may be committed and disguised as intermittent FMLA. With so many mandates and accommodations required by law, it’s difficult to sniff out fraudulent behavior. In this installment of ‘Tips to Stop Banging Your Head Against the Wall,’ we’re going share Tip #3 to keep fraudulence at bay (and your head safe). **Tip #3: Be Suspicious** Establishing an anti-fraud program is one way to ensure that employees aren’t taking advantage of a never-ending leave request. A recent [guideline to intermittent FMLA leave](http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/glp/25988/fmla-intermittent-leave.html) suggested an 11-step plan to limit potential FMLA fraud and we’ve pulled our favorite recommendations from the plan below: - Obtain medical certification - Enforce your policies - Examine the certification closely and ask the physician for verification - Ask for a second opinion - Make a limited inquiry each time the employee requests more leave - Carefully watch the schedule of absences - Request recertification - Track accrued leave and require it to run concurrently with FMLA leave - Aggressively pursue potential fraud and if concrete evidence exists, take disciplinary action This anti-fraud plan can easily be transferred into a list of manageable tasks that an HR manager can set up in your leave management system. Alerts and task management reminders can keep HR mangers on top of potential fraud cases and allow them to upload any pieces of evidence or documentation that suggests fraud. It’s like you’re a headache-free HR detective.