Opinion ID: 2973099
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Fitness-For-Duty Certification

Text: Camelot required Brumbalough to submit a fitness-for-duty certification by August 15, 2001 in order to be reinstated. Brumbalough claims that she sent a note from her doctor to Camelot on August 3, 2001, indicating that she was fit for duty. Brumbalough also claims that she spoke to Ms. Jolly, who told Brumbalough that the note was insufficient and that Camelot would require further documentation before reinstatement. Although Ms. Jolly testified that she never received this note, for the purposes of Camelot’s motion for summary judgment, the district court properly assumed that Brumbalough had sent the note to Camelot. The doctor’s note, in its entirety, states, “[Linda Brumbalough] may return to work on 8/13/01[.] She should only work a 40-45 hour work week and limit her out of town travel to 1 day 1 This is probably because, at this point, Brumbalough felt she was able to return to work and was pursuing reinstatement. 2 If Brumbalough had continued to take leave without submitting a recertification and without attempting to return to work, Camelot arguably would not have been able to immediately terminate Brumbalough, because the FMLA requires that the employer inform the employee in writing of the consequences of failing to recertify her illness. 29 C.F.R. § 825.305(a) and (d). This is not the situation here, however, because Brumbalough attempted to return to work before her leave time had even ended. 3 As discussed in Part B, Brumbalough was no longer on FMLA leave when she was terminated. As such, the Court finds Brumbalough’s first argument meritless. No. 04-5543 Brumbalough v. Camelot Care Centers, Inc. Page 7 per week.” (J.A. at 109.) The district court concluded that this note “did not meet defendant’s requirements for a fitness-for-duty certification,” because it did not specify whether Brumbalough could perform the essential functions of her job. (J.A. at 31.) The district court therefore found that termination was proper because Brumbalough failed to provide a specific certification to her employer. Although the FMLA permits employers to require a fitness-for-duty certification prior to reinstatement, the relevant regulation states the following: An employer may seek fitness-for-duty certification only with regard to the particular health condition that caused the employee’s need for FMLA leave. The certification itself need only be a simple statement of an employee’s ability to return to work. A health care provider employed by the employer may contact the employee’s health care provider with the employee’s permission, for purposes of clarification of the employee’s fitness to return to work. No additional information may be acquired, and clarification may be requested only for the serious health condition for which FMLA leave was taken. The employer may not delay the employee’s return to work while contact with the health care provider is being made. 29 C.F.R. § 825.310(c) (emphasis added). There is no controlling case law on what a “simple statement of an employee’s ability to return to work” must include to be sufficient under the regulations. However, a plain reading of this regulation indicates that the fitness-for-duty certification need only state that the employee can return to work. While the employer may require more information, the regulation clearly states that the employer cannot delay reinstating the employee simply because the employer is obtaining further information or clarification from the employee’s health care provider. Id. Moreover, an employer may not impose requirements that conflict with the FMLA and its regulations. Cavin v. Honda, 346 F.3d 713, 723 (6th Cir. 2003). This view is bolstered by the fact that the FMLA and accompanying regulations lay out in specific detail what must be included in an initial medical certification, whereas the regulations expressly state that only a simple statement is needed in a fitness-for-duty certification. Compare 29 U.S.C. § 2613(b) (stating that medical certification of a serious health problem will be “sufficient” when it includes the date that the problems began, the probable duration of the ailment, all other appropriate medical facts regarding the condition, a statement that the employee is unable to perform work functions, as well as any requirements regarding intermittent leave”), with 29 C.F.R. § 825.310(c) (requiring only a “simple statement” of the employee’s ability to return to work). See also Cooper v. Olin Corp., 246 F.3d. 1083, 1090 (8th Cir. 2001) (observing that there are more stringent requirements for medical certification than for the fitness-for-duty certification); Mathews v. Fairview Health Servs., No. 01-2151, 2003 WL 1842471, at , 4 (D. Minn. 2003) (finding that a return-to-work slip by a doctor which stated only that the employee could return to work and should not work more than 40 hours in a two-week period, was a sufficient fitness-for-duty certification which required immediate reinstatement); Underhill v. Willamina Lumber Co., No. 98630-AS, 1999 WL 421596, at  (D. Or. 1999) (finding that a letter from the employee’s doctor stating that the employee can return to work is specific enough to constitute a fitness-for-duty certification and require reinstatement “regardless of whether Defendant had concerns about plaintiff’s ability to do his job”). Accordingly, we hold that once an employee submits a statement from her health care provider which indicates that she may return to work, the employer’s duty to reinstate her has been No. 04-5543 Brumbalough v. Camelot Care Centers, Inc. Page 8 triggered under the FMLA.4 Therefore, we reverse the district court’s conclusion that Brumbalough’s fitness-for-duty certification was inadequate and conclude that Camelot was required to reinstate Brumbalough upon receipt of Dr. Stalling’s August 3, 2001 note. If Camelot decided that the same note was insufficient as a fitness-for-duty certification, it should have sought clarification from Brumbalough’s doctor. Since, in this case, there is a genuine issue as to the material fact of whether Camelot received the August 3, 2001 note, we remand the case for further fact-finding.