A recent decision in Massachusetts reaffirms the importance of ensuring that leave policies comply with Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) requirements.
In this case, the company had a compliant leave policy that provided that employees were responsible for paying their portion of the insurance premium while on an unpaid leave of absence.
Among other claims, the plaintiff asserted that her benefits had been improperly canceled while she was on an FMLA leave. However, she had not paid the premiums for those benefits. As such, the court found that her claim was meritless.
Companies should work with their ERISA and employment counsel to ensure that leave policies satisfy all applicable legal requirements, including obligations with respect to payment of benefit premiums while on an unpaid leave, in accordance with the FMLA.
A copy of the opinion is available here: USCOURTS-mad-4_22-cv-40123-0.pdf