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 March 13, 2025
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This is an official communication from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment's Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) Division. |
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March spotlight: What you need to know about FAMLI and Designated Representatives
When life happens, FAMLI has you covered – even when you’re unable to file a FAMLI claim for yourself.
As a Health Care Provider, you may be asked to certify a serious health condition for a patient who is incapacitated or otherwise unable to ask for themselves. That’s when claimants in the FAMLI program may use a Designated Representative.
Here’s what you need to know about Designated Representatives when it comes to FAMLI coverage:
- Designated Representatives must be legally authorized to make decisions on behalf of a claimant. The legal authorization may be through written designation by the claimant, or through legal status as a parent, guardian, conservator, or power of attorney.
- If someone is unable to file a claim or authorize a Designated Representative, a family member may serve in this role without prior authorization from the claimant.
- A Health Care Provider who is certifying a serious health health condition should be certifying the claimant’s own health condition, not that of the Designated Representative.
- If someone is simply helping a loved one file a claim for their own serious health condition, that is not the time to file as a Designated Representative. Instead, this person should file a Care claim.
Colorado does not regulate how Health Care Providers can talk about FAMLI options. But if someone asks you to explain the Designated Representative process, feel free to refer them to the FAMLI website for instructions!
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Providers are asking: How long is my FAMLI leave recommendation valid?
When you recommend time away from work for a patient’s serious health condition, that recommendation is good for six months.
For health-related FAMLI claims, updated Health Care Provider documentation will be required every six months. This is true for any type of FAMLI leave – continuous, intermittent, or reduced work schedule.
Want to upload documents quickly and securely speed the process for your patients? Don’t forget to register in our Health Care Provider portal today!
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FAMLI in the Health Care Community
Save the date for these upcoming events to meet FAMLI representatives and get your questions answered!
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Include FAMLI in your after-visit summaries
After-visit summaries are crucial to ensure patients know and follow-through on the next steps in their health journey.
Now you can make those summaries even more valuable by letting your patients know about paid family and medical leave in Colorado. We encourage you to copy-and-paste the message below into your after-visit summaries:
Did you know? Nearly all workers in Colorado qualify for paid leave to take care of themselves or a loved one with a serious health condition. Pregnancy qualifies as a serious health condition, and both parents are eligible to take up to 12 weeks to bond with a new child. Find out more at famli.colorado.gov.
We also encourage you to print and circulate our What Is FAMLI? flyers in both English and Spanish. These flyers are a great introduction to FAMLI, and will help your patients know the leave benefits available to them.
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