Sponsors (2)
The bill makes it easier for caregivers to take intermittent or reduced‑schedule FMLA and reduces paperwork for providers and employees, but it shifts verification and clarity burdens onto employers, raising risks of inconsistent application and legal uncertainty.
Parents and other caregivers can more clearly take intermittent or reduced‑schedule FMLA leave, giving them greater scheduling flexibility to balance work and family care.
Medical providers and employees face less paperwork because providers no longer must supply detailed planned‑treatment dates/duration or special intermittent‑leave necessity statements, reducing clinician burden and administrative time for workers.
Employers have fewer prescriptive statutory certification items to evaluate, which can simplify FMLA administration and reduce disputes over form content.
Employers will have less documentary evidence to verify intermittent or reduced‑schedule leave, increasing administrative challenges and the risk of misuse or disputes over leave claims.
Because the statute removes explicit certification requirements, employees may face inconsistent application across employers as details are left to regulations or employer policy, creating uncertainty about access to leave.
Smaller employers could face greater compliance uncertainty and potential litigation risk while agencies or courts interpret the narrowed statutory text, imposing legal and administrative costs on small businesses.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Narrows FMLA medical-certification content for intermittent/reduced-schedule leave and explicitly permits such leave for specified FMLA categories.
Official title: To amend the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 to allow all leave to be taken on an intermittent schedule.
Introduced February 11, 2026 by Sarah McBride · Last progress February 11, 2026
Allows certain types of FMLA leave to be taken intermittently or on a reduced schedule and reduces the specific medical-certification details that providers must give for intermittent or reduced‑schedule leave. The bill deletes several statutory certification items that had required dates/durations, medical necessity statements for intermittent care, and related specifics, leaving procedural detail to other FMLA provisions and implementing regulations.