I'm so confused about fmla. Does it vary by district? I need to be out for surgery. Due to the timing of it with a break, I think I'll only be out for 3-5 days. I was sent a bunch of paperwork for fmla that talks about unpaid leave. I have plenty of sick days. Why would I do fmla?
I'd use sick leave if you have it. FMLA is generally unpaid. Call your HR office and ask why you even received the info. Did you tell them you were going to be out for surgery? Perhaps they thought you'd miss weeks.
I did have to miss work for 6 weeks several years ago because of major surgery. I had plenty of sick leave and that's what I used.
Thanks. Yeah, I'd definitely prefer to use my sick days. I was sent a very confusing email. I sent her my questions and am waiting to hear back. I'm not sure if it's because I'm trying to add on to a break, which generally isn't allowed?
FMLA protects your position and protects you from any backlash from taking time off. It is still good to use FMLA because you may need follow up appointments. It can be taken intermittently and does not have to be used on consecutive days.
You should be able to use your sick days first and if you still need time out then the time may be unpaid. It depends on where you work and why you are taking the FMLA. I can use my sick days and still be paid if it is for myself but if it is for a family member I won't be paid. Check with your HR.
Paid time off varies by district. My sister is a nurse and her job gives her paid FMLA even for family members.
You might want to find out if there are other options of taking as short period of time off. I was out for two weeks after my father died and didn't have to use FMLA. I got a note from my dr. and my district had a specific short term leave of absence form.
Does your district have any leave forms on their website? You might be able to sort through some of it and figure it out.
FMLA is there to protect your job. I don't think you will need to file only being out 3-5 days, but your district might want you to. You will still get to use your sick days. I was out 10 days last year after I shattered my tibia. I came back in wheel chair and ended up being out a few more days throughout the year for Ortho appointments. I did file FMLA paperwork and each time I took off for the doctor related to my injury I noticfied the district.
I was told to take it for my father who passed in August. I am now using it for my mother and her appointments. I filed it but use my paid sick leave. It just protects my job and I do not have to turn in doctor's notes.
I am forced to use FMLA along with sick days for my extended medical leave. We don't get a choice where I work. I have enough sick leave, but it doesn't matter.
With all three of my knee surgeries I was required to fill out the FMLA paperwork. Even though I was only out 10 to 15 days for each. It's a huge protection thing apparently. The one surgery I was only supposed to be out a week and they made me get it all filled out by the doctor and submitted. The theory is that you go through all your sick days first and then FMLA would kick in for protection. Since we are only a couple districts apart, I'm assuming it's standard in the area.
I have 200+ sick days banked, but when I had to have surgery recently, my benefits administrator at the district office told me I had to fill out FMLA paperwork. I didn't ask why, I just printed it and filled in the little bit that I could. Then I handed it over to the doctor's office. They filled all the rest out and faxed it to my district. The part I had to fill out was really minimal.
I wish I could explain why it needed to be filled out when I had so many sick days, but I can't .
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11-07-2016, 03:16 PM
