In order to properly respond to and process requests for leave under the Family Medical Leave Act ("FMLA"), many employers use the pre-printed forms published by the U.S. Department of Labor.  Unbeknownst to many, these forms actually have expiration dates and the versions that have been used for quite some time expired December 31, 2011.   Without much fan fare, the Department of Labor has updated the expiration dates on its published forms.  They are now valid through January 31, 2012.  Given the short extension of time, it is fair to speculate that substantive changes to the forms will likely be forthcoming.  Thus, all employers that rely upon the Department of Labor's forms for their FMLA recordkeeping should be sure to download the most current version of the forms available directly from the Department of Labor's website.   And, any employer that has created its own version of documents modeled after the Department of Labor's forms should also review their forms to ensure they are as accurate and current as possible.  Here are the links to the website pages where the primary forms may be found: