MCLNO Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Q:  I have returned to work after the layoff in December and am needing to use some leave.
A:  Employees who had a break in service as the result of the hurricane and the layoff do not automatically qualify for FMLA. FMLA eligibility requires that employee work 1250 hours during the past 12 months. If you are not sure that this applies to you, please call HR at 903-5447 for an accurate interpretation for your specific situation.

Q:  I continued to work after hurricane Katrina and did not have a break in employment. Do I qualify for FMLA leave?
A:  If you continued to work (which only applies to a handful of employees), you would qualify for FMLA.Employees who on leave or returned to work with less six months absence will qualify for FMLA.

Q:  Why do I have to use FMLA leave? I want to use my sick leave first and save my FMLA entitlement for use later if I need it.
A:  The FMLA law allows employers to require their employees use accrued paid leave while on FMLA leave. Your supervisor must designate your absence as FMLA qualifying if it meets the guidelines and you must use appropriate leave to cover this absence.

Q:  I used 12 weeks of FMLA to care for my seriously ill mother this year. My supervisor notified me that I must bring in a doctor’s slip for every occasion of illness and I will not be allowed to use my annual leave because I “abused my time”. Is this correct?
A:  No, the use of leave during an approved FMLA absence cannot count against you in any employment decisions made by your supervisor.

Q:  My baby is due the end of this month and I will be out 12 weeks using FMLA leave. Will I be able to use all sick leave during this absence?
A:  You may use your sick leave only for the portion of the FMLA absence required by your physician to recuperate from childbirth. Any remaining FMLA absence will require the use of any annual or compensatory accrued leave you may have.

Q:   My daughter is pregnant and will need me to care for her and her baby when it is born. Can I use 12 weeks of FMLA leave to care for my daughter and her baby?
A:  Only if your daughter is under age 18 and only for the length of time needed for her to recuperate from childbirth. The terms “son or daughter” under the FMLA law do not include individuals age 18 or over unless they have a mental or physical disability which make them “incapable of self-care” as defined by EEOC guidelines.

Q:  Whom can I call if I have questions about FMLA?
A:   Delores Nehlig in Human Resources can help you with questions. You may reach her at 903-5447.

PPR

Q:   When would it be necessary to update an employee’s planning session?
A:   An employee’s planning session is updated when he/she gets a new rating supervisor or when performance expectations change due to changes in the employee’s work due to promotion, reallocation or position change.

Q:   Does the employee have to receive a copy of the final PPR form for the rating to be official?
A:   Yes, the employee must be given a copy of the final signed and dated form, within the window of opportunity provided for the rating or re-rating. If the copy is not given, or not given within the time provided, the rating is not official.

Q:   What is a closeout rating?
A:   A closeout is an informal rating conducted by a rating supervisor when either 1.) An employee is leaving the rating supervisor’s supervision or 2.) The rating supervisor is leaving the work group and will no longer supervise the employee or employees.

Other 

Q:   I was not available earlier to return to work.  Who do I contact now that I am back in the city and want to work?
A:   Employees returning to the city may call either 800-256-2311 or 903-3000. If an employee was unable to return to work at the time that their name was at the top of the preferred re-employment list, their name was removed form the list. We would still like to have contact information for that employee as we will exhaust the preferred re-employment list and will want to consider employees who are now available for work.

Q:   When will the emergency relief funds be issued to employees?
A:   The MCLNO Employee Relief funds are expected to be mailed no later than June 23, 2006.

Q:   Where can I get a copy of my 2005 W-2 Form? 
A:  You can get a replacement 2005 w-2 by contacting the HR Department at 903-1074 or 903-0010

Q:   I am not receiving my earning statements, what do I need to do? 
A:   Please let the HR Department know so that they can investigate it for you. They can be contacted at 903-1041.

Q:   Who do I need to talk to regarding getting my “personal property” out of the main building? 
A:   Requests for removing personal property must be made in person at the Butterworth building. The receptionist on the first floor of the Butterworth building has the required paperwork for requesting access to the hospital to retrieve personal property.

Q:   Current employees are asking if they have received there merit increase?
A:   Employees are eligible to receive merit increases if their performance has been deemed acceptable and if the employee has not reached the maximum of the pay range. If you question your eligibility or if you need to know if you have been approved for a merit increase, you can contact HR at 903-7313.

Q:   Besides the furloughed time, is the state going to allow us to buy back the time we were out of work?
A:   There is proposed legislation that might allow for this but we will not know whether or it is possible until after the legislative session. At this point in time, it is not permitted. An employee can always purchase “air time”, but the air time can not be used to acquire eligibility to retire.

Q:   How does the process of rehiring former employees work?
A:   We are required to fill positions on a permanent basis from the civil service preferred re-employment list. Even temporary appointments (except pool type jobs) must be offered to the most senior employee on the preferred re-employment list. The list is determined by state service and the positions for which an employee’s name will appear on the list depends on the employee’s position at the time of the layoff and the positions in that employee’s career field.

Q:   How can I find out where I am ranked on the Dept Preferred Reemployment List?
A:   You may fax or write a letter to Civil Service requesting a ranking for the Civil Service Title you held prior to Hurricane Katrina. The fax # is 225-342-2386 and the address is Civil Service, 94111 Capital Station, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9111

Q:   If I'm not rehired with the state soon, how long does my A time and B time I had prior to Hurricane Katrina stay on the books?
A:   Employees’ leave balances will remain available to them for up to five years. If a laid off employee accepts a position here or with any other state agency within five years, the leave balances will be re-credited to the employee.

Q:   Does my retirement money in LASERS accrue interest while I'm not working for the state?
A:   No! Our retirement contributions do not accrue interest even while we are actively contributing to the retirement system.