Frequently Asked Questions

FMLA leave may be used for:

• the birth of a son or daughter of the employee and the care of such son or daughter
• the placement of a son or daughter with the employee for adoption or foster care
• the care of a spouse, son or daughter, or parent of the employee who has a serious health condition
• a serious health condition of the employee that makes the employee unable to perform the essential functions of his or her position
• qualifying exigency arising out of the fact that the spouse, a son or daughter, or a parent of the employee is on covered active duty (or has been notified of an impending call or order to covered active duty) in the Armed Forces
• military caregiver leave

A serious health condition can involve some or all of the following:

• Conditions that require inpatient care in a hospital, hospice, or residential medical care facility
• Conditions that incapacitate an employee or employee’s family member for more than three consecutive days and require ongoing medical treatment
• Chronic conditions that cause occasional periods when an employee or employee’s family member are incapacitated and require treatment by a health care provider
• Pregnancy and childbirth

This definition includes conditions such as cancer, heart attacks, strokes, severe injuries, Alzheimer's disease, and/or terminal diseases. A serious health condition is not intended to cover short-term condit ions for which treatment and recovery are very brief, such as common cold, influenza, earaches, upset stomach, headaches (other than migraines), and/or routine dental or orthodontia problems unless complications arise.

FMLA can be used when a family member is called to or is on covered active duty. FMLA can help in the following situations.  Specific terms can be found on the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) fact sheet.

• Short-notice deployment
• Military events and related activities
• Childcare and school activities
• Care of service member’s parent
• Financial and legal arrangements
• Counseling
• Rest and recuperation
• Post-deployment activities

FMLA can be used when a family member is called to or is on active duty. Covered active duty or call to covered active duty status refers to:

• Regular component of the Armed Forces - duty during the deployment of the service member with the Armed Forces to a foreign country under a call or order to active duty (or notification of an impending call or order to active duty)
• Member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces - duty during the deployment of the service member with the Armed Forces to a foreign country under a call or order to active duty (or notification of an impending call or order to active duty)

Military caregiver leave allows eligible employees to take up to 26 weeks of leave in a single 12-month period to care for a family member (spouse, son or daughter, parent, next of kin) who is a covered service member/veteran with a serious injury or illness. Military caregiver leave is available to an eligible employee once per service member, per serious injury or illness.

The “next of kin” of a covered service member/veteran is the nearest blood relative, other than the veteran’s spouse, parent, son, or daughter, in the following order of priority:

1. a blood relative who has been designated in writing by the service member as the next of kin for FMLA purposes
2. blood relative who has been granted legal custody of the service member
3. brothers and sisters
4. grandparents
5. aunts and uncles
6. first cousins

A veteran who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy for a serious injury or illness is a cover ed veteran if he or she:

• was a member of the Armed Forces (including a member of the National Guard or Reserves)
• was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable
• was discharged within the five -year period before the eligible employee first takes FMLA military caregiver leave to care for him or her

A serious injury or illness is one that is incurred by a service member while on active duty that may cause the service member to be medically unfit to perform the duties of his or her office, grade, rank, or rating. A serious injury or illness also includes injuries or illnesses that existed before the service member’s active duty and that were aggravated by service while on active duty.

Federal employees can use 24 hours of leave without pay during any 12-month period to fulfill certain family obligations:

• School and Early Childhood Educational Activities - to allow employees to participate in school activities directly related to the educational advancement of a child
• Routine Family Medical Purposes - to allow parents to accompany children to routine medical or dental appointments
• Elderly Relatives' Health or Care Needs - to allow employees to accompany an elderly relative to routine medical or dental appointments or other professional services

Course completion certifications from the NIH Training Center are in your LMS Account under Learning in Completed Learning. Here are some helpful guides to get you through LMS. If you have any technical difficulties with access, please see the LMS Helpdesk.

Generally, the status on your LMS profile is updated within two weeks of attending class. Please note, two weeks is an average. Specific classes have post requirements and may extend beyond two weeks.

All mandatory training information can be viewed on our NIH Mandatory Training Inventory page.

Generally, class information including a calendar invite and materials are sent to students approximately one week before the class.

Locate the Catalog Search portlet on the LMS homepage. In the lower right corner, select the “Category” link. Scroll down to 3-Online Training and select Skillsoft Online to view the courses.

The CAN is charged after the student attends class. The class is marked “delivered” in the Learning Management System (LMS) and the student receives credit for attending.

Great! The NIH Training Center offers training to ICs at their locations. This is called Group Training/Closed Enrollment. We can provide you with all the pertinent information discuss what training best fits your needs. Contact the NIH Training Center to arrange a consultation with one of our Program Managers at 301-496-6211 or email us at NIHTrainingCenter@nih.gov.

No, unfortunately the HHS Learning Management System (LMS) is not connected to FAI’s CSOD. The LMS is internal to HHS and CSOD is a government-wide system. Please contact the FAI Help Desk for more guidance on how to upload your training certificate: 703-752-9604 or FAI.

After taking Basic ITAS you should gain a minimum of two months of recent timekeeping experience and then register for the Advanced ITAS class.

Here is a quick and easy way to check your registration status in a class.

• Log into the HHS Learning Portal (LMS). 
• On the left-hand side of the screen, select Learning. 
• If the class appears, you are registered.
• If you do not see your class, look at the top of the window and choose the Message Center

If you do not see your class, look at the top of the window and choose the Message Center (Envelope icon). Click on the Search button. You will see a list of status updates for you. There should be a message regarding your registration.

If you are still experiencing issues, feel free to contact the NIH Training Center at 301-496-6211 or send email to NIHTrainingCenter@nih.gov.

This means you are pending approval by your direct supervisor and your Servicing Administrative Officer (AO). View the email notification that you received from the Learning Management System. Once your request has been fully approved and a valid Common Accounting Number (CAN) has been entered, then you are eligible to be moved to the roster. This will occur if a seat is available at the top of the NEXT hour. If there are no seats remaining, your status will remain as waitlisted until a seat is available. For more information, see the NIHTC Registration Process video.

You do not need to notify the NIH Training Center when you provide approval for a training; the LMS system generates an automated notification.

Please access the website using VPN as seminars are solely for NIH staff.

"Closed Enrollment" trainings have been set up by one particular IC, for that IC's employees only. If you belong to that IC, you can attend. Registration for your IC's closed enrollment is usually free of charge and requires no approval in the system.

Speakers are all nominated by staff with final recommendations made the NIH’s Deputy Director for Management. There is a committee comprised of senior administrative leaders that review all nominations. Strong consideration is given to those speakers that offer the NIH community an interesting perspective on a specific leadership or management issue or challenge. Cost and availability are always considered when selecting speakers.

For coaching, the NIHTC will register you using a CAN you provide. This is a multi-step process. To learn more, visit: https://hr.nih.gov/training-center/services/executive-leadership-and-team-coaching

We welcome nominations from all NIH staff.  Please remember that nominees should be dynamic, experienced public speakers from business, academic, non-profit, or government sectors.

The link for a virtual training is typically emailed to registered participants 2-5 days before the first day of class.

All DDM seminars are videocast live and most are archived for future viewing.