Opinion ID: 2980337
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: June 8, 13, 15, and 17–20, 2005

Text: Coffman’s final argument is that her June absences should have been considered intermittent FMLA leave because a jury could conclude those absences were based on the same illness—her newly diagnosed sleep apnea—as the March and April absences. As a result, Coffman argues, Ford incorrectly determined that she had not worked enough hours to be eligible for FMLA leave because the eligibility determination should have been made in March rather than June. Coffman, however, provided no evidence to support any request for intermittent leave, let alone evidence suggesting Ford granted it. Cf. 29 U.S.C. § 2612(b)(1) (“Leave . . . shall not be taken by an employee intermittently . . . unless the employee and the employer of the employee agree otherwise.”). 7 This is not to say that employers can generally avoid liability by deeming employees’ medical certifications to be facially invalid. Employers facing questionable certifications have two preferable options: they can require the employee to obtain a second opinion from a different provider at the employer’s expense or, after granting the employee an opportunity to correct any shortcomings, they can obtain the employee’s permission to clarify or authenticate a questionable certification with the original health-care provider. 29 C.F.R. § 825.307(a)–(b) (2010); see also 29 U.S.C. § 2613(c). Although these measures are discretionary, see Sorrell, 395 F.3d at 337, utilizing them would avoid the factual disputes and questions of reasonableness that conceivably arise from an employer’s decision to classify an FMLA request as facially invalid without first working with the employee to resolve any discrepancies. 10 No. 10-3842 Coffman v. Ford Motor Company Coffman’s eligibility for FMLA leave in March therefore had no bearing on her later eligibility, and, because the evidence is clear that Coffman was ineligible for FMLA leave in June due to insufficient hours, these absences do not support her retaliation claim. See Staunch, 511 F.3d at 631 (holding that because the evidence was clear that the plaintiff had not worked the 1,250 hours required to be an “eligible employee,” her FMLA claims failed as a matter of law).