Daily News

Law Firm to Conduct Webinar on Leave-of-absence Fraud and Abuse

SPRINGFIELD — Skoler, Abbott & Presser, P.C. invites business owners, managers, and human-resource professionals to an informative webinar outlining ways to fight back against leave-of-absence fraud and abuse. This opportunity is timely on the heels of a report conducted by TSheets, a time-management software provider, that shows wage-and-hour lawsuits have increased 450% over the past 20 years. That same report found 75% of suits initiated by the U.S. Department of Labor against employers resulted in financial payouts to employees.

The webinar will be hosted Wednesday, Feb. 15 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. and hosted by attorney John Gannon of Springfield-based Skoler, Abbott & Presser, a boutique firm that exclusively practices labor and employment law.

“Recently, there has been an excess of FMLA-related lawsuits,” Gannon said. “The jump coincides with an increased number of FMLA leave requests, which is likely due to increased awareness about the law. Employers must comply with the law but also be vigilant to signs of fraud and FMLA abuse.”

Gannon will discuss keys to identifying FMLA abuse, including patterns of time off requested; how to lawfully use surveillance and social media to investigate suspicious FMLA use; new laws and regulations from federal or state agencies that may affect FMLA monitoring; how much time is enough to establish a pattern of abuse; the importance of training frontline supervisors on FMLA policies; when to get a second opinion to determine whether the employee or family member has a serious health condition; once an employee is certified for FMLA, when is it legally acceptable to require certification; call-in policies and procedures as a means to control intermittent leave; the importance of requiring notice before time off; keeping communication open with employees using FMLA; and more.

Those interested in the course may register online at store.blr.com/fmla-abuse-021517.