If an employee is asking for time off without pay, due to a medical condition, can the employer ask what the condition is?

Yes, they can ask. They could require a doctor's letter stating your condition necessitates time off. You are not required by any law to answer but then they can dismiss you in most states. What is the condition?

Don't know what the condition is because the employee stated that they did not have to give us the information because it violated the HIPPA laws. But I believe that we (as the employer) can ask why an employee needs to be off work for an extended period. They can not just say I have a medical condition, we can require them to tell us what it is, right?