Medical payments after pregnancy leave

lnelson

Prior to our ee going on FMLA we did not discuss repaying the ee portion of medical benefits. Now I am in process of notifying the ee of the time frame to add new dependent and also inquire on her intent to return to work. Can I also notify her of her obligation to reimburse her dependent medical insurance coverage NOW? OR Can it be discussed upon her return?

LindaS

I would go ahead and put the amount she currently owes for her portion of the health insurance in the letter. I would also encourage her to contact you to discuss payment options. If she is receiving some type of pay you can offer her the option to have her premiums deducted from the check she is receiving. She doesn't HAVE to elect this but in my experience the employee's have chosen this option 90+% of the time. You should also add statements to the letter you provide to the employee when you are notifying them that there leave is approved that they have a responsibility to maintain their insurance premiums while they are off. Again, you cannot terminate their coverage while they are out but most of the time the employee will elect to continue paying their premiums, especially if they are receiving some type of pay since they do not want to have a large bill to pay upon returning to work.

njjel

Linda,I just wanted to point out that you may terminate their coverage while they are out if they fail to timely (within 30 days of due date) pay their portion of the premium (if any). You must provide the ee with 15 days notice of the termination of their insurance. (825.212 of the Act)