Lemaze prenatal treatment?

SMace

Would you consider lemaze classes as prenatal treatment? I cannot find any specific classifiaction of what is and isn't prenatal in the regs. Help please?

deniseE

I'd put the burden back upon the physician...if he/she determines that it is required prenatal treatment...then it would be covered.

Although, generally hospitals offer these classes with flexible scheduling to accomodate people working all kinds of shifts.

Janet

I can't imagine that a doctor would consider Lamaze classes as prenatal treatment (which would be covered under FMLA). However, it WOULD be considered intermittent, for which an employee must make "a reasonable effort to schedule the leave so as to not disrupt unduly the employer's operations" (sec. 825.302e).

Don D

If it's not FMLA, there is no way it can be intermittent FMLA. This is a good example of the degree to which people will go to abuse an already burdensome and intrusive requirement of the federal government on the employer. This is purely an elective class, having no basis in medical necessity. Trying to twist this to require an employer to grant it as leave is totally outside the bounds of reality, and wholly beyond the scope of the law.

marc

Back in the day, my wife and I took these classes in the evenings. They weren't even offered during the day. I would be greatly surprised if they weren't available during off work times.

Rockie

Don is absolutely correct. This is a good example of "abuse" by an employee purely trying to get out of work. There is no Lamaze program that I have ever heard of that would be purely during worktime hours. Most moms to be work as well as dads to be...so flexibility is the key to these type programs and they are ALL offered in the evenings.