Who needs Form 3971?
Form 3971 refers to Request for or Notification of Absence developed and released by the U.S. Postal Service. The form is designed for employees, employers or supervisors. Form 3971 is first given to the employee to fill out and then submitted to the supervisor for approval.
What is Form 3971 for?
With Form 3971 employees can ask for leave requests. The revised form now allows the employees to support their requests with background information that may be covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act. According to this act certain employees are eligible for 12 workweeks of leave without risk of losing their job. With these changes, the approval if now comes from the Human Resources Shared Services Center.
Is Form 3971 accompanied by other forms?
Form 3971 isn’t accompanied by other documents. No medical records must be attached to the form either.
When is Form 3971 due?
An employer may ask for the absence when it is needed. There is no specific deadline for filling out the form.
How do I fill out form 3971?
Form 3971 is a brief one-page document. After the revision the form contains more fields for requests protected by FMLA. There is an extended remarks section on the front of the form with detailed instructions concerning FMLA covered requests. Generally an employee must provide their name, contact information, ID and indicate the exact time of the request. There is a separate section to be completed by the supervisor. In case of request disapproval, a supervisor checks the Disapproved box and provides detailed reasoning for such decision. If the absence request is urgent, an employee may alert the Postal Service to process and evaluate requester faster.
Where do I send Form 3971?
When properly completed, Form 3971 is sent to the supervisor via USPS.
