A more thorough explanation:

The medical certification is a document that an employer may require for an employee to take an FMLA leave year. This means that if an employee needs to take time off work due to a serious health condition, they may need to provide a medical certification to their employer.

The medical certification must be issued by a healthcare provider and should include the following information:

• Contact information of the healthcare provider
• Start date of the serious health condition
• Probable duration of the serious health condition
• Relevant medical information about the serious health condition, such as symptoms, hospitalization, and doctor visits
• If the employee cannot work, or if the employee’s spouse, child, or parent require care
• Whether the employee needs to take the FMLA leave in block or intermittently, estimating in each case the time of absence per leave

For example, if an employee needs to take time off work to care for their sick child, they may need to provide a medical certification from their child's doctor to their employer.

The employer may also request additional information not included in the medical certification, but the employee must provide this information within seven calendar days. If the employee does not provide the medical certification or the requested additional information, the employer may deny the request for the employee to take an FMLA leave.

It's important to note that the employee is responsible for the costs related to the issuance of the medical certification.