It seems like FMLA leave, but if an employee doesn’t think so, must we designate it as such?

Q: “An employee will likely need to take some intermittent days off to care for her mother [according to documentation from a medical provider]. The employee does not want this time off designated as FMLA because she assumes it will only be a limited number of days off. Am I required to designate the time off as FMLA?” - Charlene, California