Assess Client Needs

Managing employee leave can be complex and costly

As benefit staffs are expected to do more with fewer resources, many employers are struggling to keep track of the evolving federal and state legislation regarding the administration of employee leave time. Clients can better evaluate their company’s needs by first answering some questions.

The top things to consider in an effective program:

• Do you have employees in multiple states? Are you continually monitoring federal and state regulations, and updating your internal administration accordingly?
  
  
• Is your leave program managed centrally? If it is decentralized, are you applying the same policies throughout the company?
   
• Are you confident that you are accurately administering leaves that apply to more than one plan, such as short-term disability (STD), family medical leave (FML), and applicable state family medical leave?
   
• Does your FML program integrate with STD?
• Is leave time running concurrently?
• Are you providing seamless employee communications?
• Are you coordinating your disability claim decisions?
   
• Do you ensure consistency and timeliness in processing leave requests, so your employees receive their Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Eligibility and Rights and Responsibilities Notices within five business days of the leave request, as required by FMLA regulations?
   
• Are you administering FMLA entitlement accurately for employees who may not have 12 months of service when they begin a leave?
   
• Is each reported intermittent occurrence reviewed against the frequency and duration on the health-care provider certification? Do you have a standard process to address occurrences that exceed certified intermittent time parameters? Do you re-certify and/or deny these occurrences?
   
• Are you managing intermittent leave time to the full extent allowed under FMLA regulations?

Let us help you review your program effectiveness

If you answered no to any of these questions, we can meet with you to review your current absence management program and suggest ways that our administration can improve it. We can show you how a program that’s administered thoroughly and efficiently can save you time and money—and at the same time improve employee productivity. Learn more about New York Life Group Benefit Solutions's leave administration capabilities to help employers enhance productivity; improve their disability outcomes; and track, manage, and reduce employee absence. 

As your leave administration partner, we provide: 

• Seamless integration of state and federal family medical leave and our industry-leading disability management capabilities.
   
• Administration of all types of short- and long-term disability, as well as FMLA; state family medical leave; and employer-authorized leave plans, including military, jury, and personal leave.
   
• Clinical oversight of intermittent and family-related absences.
   
• A sophisticated, rules-driven workflow engine with client policies programmed for systematic administration.
   
• Robust online reporting capabilities for operational and program-trend informational needs.
   
• Customizable communications and real-time employer notifications.
   
• Compliance monitoring and regular updates.