Employment and Pancreatitis or any other illnesses

[Guest guest]

It truly upsets me when I read about and experience first

hand..employer's attitudes in this country when it comes to sick

employees and or family members...Their lack of compassion for their

employee and what they are dealing with or going through is

unbelievable.

It definitely does not help one to have to cope with the added

stresses put on the employee or their families, and it really is as

if they are being punished for being sick and in pain through no

fault of their own.

I am not living in my home country anymore, (I married an american

and am now living here in TN..possibly the worst state in the

country for employees) but at least where I come from (Australia) I

have never ever had a manager or supervisor that has ever made

remarks like this or threatened with unemployment because the person

is sick. If superior officers were to act like this, they themselves

would be liable for dismissal, and even further action by the one

they talk down to.

Some employers would do good to look at the practices of companies

in Australia, and see how just working with an employee instead of

against them can promote such a healthy working environment and help

with the recovery of that employee.

I had an FMLA form completed by my doctor for my illnesses, so that

if I needed my husband to take time off work and not get penalised

for it, he could. I contacted the head office of the company he

works for and was told that if the employee him/herself is the

patient, an FMLA form can be completed for them also, to cover them

for time off when necessary.

It does not guarantee paid leave, but it at least saves the person

from losing their job because they can't make it in for any reason

medically up to a 3 month period in any given year. A new form must

be completed and signed off by one's doctor every year that it is

needed..as in my case for a lifetime.

Regards,

[Guest guest]

I agree that employers have a long way to go in the compassion

area for their employees that become ill, or have family memebers

with illness either chronic or acute.

If my memory is correct to qualify for FMLA an employee must

have worked for the employer at least one year and have at least

1250 hours worked in that year. That is a rolling calendar year.

There are many forms of FMLA, one is intermitten a leave that

intermittenly is used for absences such as a flair up of chronic

pancreatitis. Another is hospital leave one that is used when a

person is in the hospital. The last one I can think of is one that

is used when a person needs assistance with basic issues of life,

such as ADL's.

I think that employers do what ever is most difficult on their

employees, I know that most physicians offices require payment for

filling out forms and it seems they want as many filled out as

humanly possible and personally for me it was easier to just go back

to work than ask my Dr. to fill out another form. My family Dr.

charged the same to fill out forms as an office call.

I believe that when the federal government enacted this

necessary law that they really felt it was needed, unfortunately

employers have made it soo very difficult for their employees to

know how or where they fall in to the cracks of what leave. The

federal government wanted this to be a PAID LEAVE, but that never

passed through all of the hoops needed to make a law.

FMLA helps somone with chronic health problems keep their job

for 3 months, then according the policies of the employer they can

post or fill the position, some places will allow their employees to

remain but without their current position, that means in x amount of

time they can return to work IF there is a job that they qualify for.

Once x amount of time is over they should notify the person in

writing that if they don't return to work by a certain day ( I use x

as the reference date) then they will separate employement with them.

Atwell LPN

[Guest guest]

I haven't had a doctor yet charge me, but they do state that they

charge $10 per page to be completed. My PCP is great..always writes

no charge..but then I do all the work for them, I complete all the

details, and they only have to sign them.

On the form my husband got for FMLA, it had all the different types

of leave that can be taken, so we filled out intermittant and

constant with the constant leave requiring preapproval IF it is

possible to get that. They have been really good about my being on

and off so much...allowing my husband some leeway that other

employees have been not that lucky to have. Usually if someone is

late for work, they get penalized for it and not allowed to make up

the time, but if my husband is late because of me..then he is

allowed to work over to make up the time so he still shows his 40

hours at the end of the week. If he chooses not to make it up, he

doesn't risk losing his job over it.

Their ideal situation would be to just hire a temp or hire another

person, stating the position is temporary until the sick member can

return to work..there are many people in the country who would be

satisfied to be on a temporary position with the possibility for

permanent work. It works in one country, should be able to work in

all countries..