CEUs

This webinar qualifies for the following CEUs: 1 CDMS, 1 CLMS, 1 PHR, 1 SHRM and 1 CPDM 

If you are not a DMEC member and need to record a CLMS CEU for attending this event, please contact [email protected] for assistance. 

From an administrator’s perspective, the session also addresses common challenges, such as integrating parental leave with disability and state programs, managing complex usage rules, and ensuring compliance across multiple jurisdictions. The webinar concludes with practical strategies to help organizations align leave policies with business goals, streamline legacy programs, and collaborate effectively with consultants and administrators.

CEUs

This webinar qualifies for the following CEUs: 1 ADMS, 1 CDMS, 1 CLMS, 1 PHR, 1 SHRM and 1 CPDM 

If you are not a DMEC member and need to record a CLMS CEU for attending this event, please contact [email protected] for assistance. 

In this webinar, we will provide practical, employer-focused guidance on navigating the evolving patchwork of legal protections impacting employees affected by pregnancy. Topics will include:

• Pregnancy-related accommodation and anti-discrimination laws
• Leave of absence requirements and statutory disability protections
• Lactation break obligations and related wage and hour considerations
• Emerging trends, including new and expanding laws addressing accommodations related to menopause

CEUs

This webinar qualifies for the following CEUs: 1 ADMS, 1 CDMS, 1 CLMS, 1 PHR, 1 SHRM and 1 CPDM 

If you are not a DMEC member and need to record a CLMS CEU for attending this event, please contact [email protected] for assistance. 

For absence management practitioners, this presents both a recognition challenge and a program design issue. This session explores the caregiving workforce before it appears in claims data, examines why elder care often falls outside traditional leave structures and leads to underutilization of available programs, and identifies opportunities to intervene earlier. It will also address how program design, manager awareness, and benefit strategies can better support employees throughout the caregiving lifecycle and consider how organizations can prepare employees for their own future care needs as part of a more cohesive leave and absence strategy.

CEUs

This webinar qualifies for the following CEUs: 1 ADMS, 1 CDMS, 1 CLMS, 1 PHR, 1 SHRM and 1 CPDM 

If you are not a DMEC member and need to record a CLMS CEU for attending this event, please contact [email protected] for assistance. 

This session helps employers recalibrate how they assess leave activity by distinguishing intentional wrongdoing, misuse, and lawful but inconvenient patterns. We’ll explore why intermittent absences, evolving medical standards, and incomplete certifications can trigger concern even when employees are acting within their rights. Attendees will also review compliant use of clarification, recertification, and second or third medical opinions without overstepping regulatory boundaries.

Finally, we’ll examine emerging technology tools such as identity verification and event-based monitoring alongside the cultural and compliance risks of mislabeling protected leave, with practical strategies to protect claim integrity while maintaining trust.

Using the framework of one-hit wonders and greatest hits, we’ll walk through leave of absence best practices and common missteps. We’ll talk about leave “one-hit wonders” that may have worked when case volume was low or regulations were simpler or undefined, but became problematic as the space evolved. The best programs build a full catalog: clear policies, consistent processes, strong compliance oversight, and thoughtful employee communication. Today we’ll explore what separates a single good idea from a program with lasting impact and how to turn isolated wins into a collection of “greatest hits.

Menopause is increasingly emerging as both a workforce well-being issue and a critical driver of absence, accommodation, and productivity outcomes. In this session, we’ll explore how employers can more effectively address the “silent cost” of menopause by integrating targeted support into broader absence and benefits strategies. Panelists will share practical approaches for supporting employees experiencing menopausal and peri-menopausal symptoms, from building awareness and fostering open dialogue to aligning wellness resources, accommodations, and absence management practices. Attendees will leave with real-world examples, key considerations for integrating menopause into existing programs, and clear, actionable steps to drive meaningful impact on employee well-being, retention, and overall workforce engagement.

Organizations often track FMLA leave and ADA accommodations separately, but when these data sets are reviewed together, new insights can emerge about employee needs, program complexity, and operational strain. This session explores what organizations can learn by examining leave and accommodation data side by side rather than in isolation. Using examples from real organizational trends, this session will highlight patterns in accommodation requests, shifts in mental health–related cases, return-to-work challenges, and the growing resource demands placed on absence management teams. The discussion will focus on how these data points can reveal workforce trends that may not be visible when programs are analyzed independently. Participants will leave with practical ideas for identifying meaningful metrics, spotting emerging trends in their own organizations, and using integrated data to inform leadership discussions, program planning, and resource decisions.

Facilitated by Susanne Bruyere, Principal Investigator, Employer Assistance Resource Network on Disability and Academic Director of the Yang Tan Institute on Employment and Disability, the discussion will bring together employer representatives and an industry expert to examine how these findings are translating into real workplace solutions. Panelists will share case examples of how their organizations are addressing mental-health-related absences, supporting employees through accommodations and leave programs, and integrating mental health into broader workforce strategies.

Through a combination of research insights, employer perspectives, and interactive discussion, participants will gain practical strategies to strengthen workplace mental health policies and programs. Attendees will leave with actionable ideas for improving outcomes for employees experiencing mental health conditions while supporting effective disability and absence management practices.

With a focus on turning policy into real employment outcomes, Assistant Secretary Hocker will share practical insights on supporting employees through illness or injury, why early and coordinated action matters, and how employers can better keep people connected to work.

Attendees will leave with clear, actionable strategies to strengthen retention, improve employee outcomes, and align with where disability employment policy is headed.