FMLA Complaints Resolved by Labor Department Hit Another All-Time Low in FY 2015

According to enforcement statistics released recently by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), for the fourth year in a row the number of Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) complaints resolved by the agency hit an all-time low. The data show that DOL resolved 1,419 complaints in Fiscal Year 2015 (October 1, 2014 – September 30, 2015), down more than 50% from the all-time high of 3,796 complaints resolved in FY 1998.

Although DOL does not report the number of FMLA complaint filings it receives, it is probably fair to assume that the number of administrative complaints being filed with the agency also is going down.

In the meantime, according to newly released data from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, the number of FMLA lawsuits filed directly by plaintiffs in federal court in FY 2015 increased by 2.8%, to 1,139 as compared to 1,108 in FY 2014. The FMLA allows an individual to go directly to federal court without first having to file an administrative complaint with the Labor Department.