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Medical Absence Management For Employees

Medical absence management is an important tool for supporting employee health and well-being.

If you have questions about medical absence please reach out to Lori East (Professional staff) in HR.  Please include your employee ID.

Definitions

Accommodation – Workplace accommodations are adjustments that allow a person with a disability to continue to work.  This may include the use of special equipment/devices,  adjustments to hours of work/ duties or both

Return to work (RTW) – A program that re-integrates a disabled/injured employee back into the workplace.  Formalizes the work expectations during the integration period.  The  transition to full duties may be weeks in duration

Satisfactory medical documentation is required to support return-to-work plans and any workplace accommodation

Functional Abilities Form (FAF) – Document completed by your treating medical practitioner, indicating prognosis, physical and/or cognitive limitations/abilities, supporting leave, return to work and accommodations

Occupational – An injury or illness that occurred at work or during a work-related event, that results in at least one of the following: work lost time; lost work pay; sought medical attention. These absences are reported to WSIB and administered by Human Resources

Non-occupational – An injury or illness that is not work-related that results in absence from work.  These absences are case-managed by Human Resources

Manager – for faculty members your manager is considered to be your Dean

Scenarios

Below are common situations you may face as a leader for your department with actions you should take to address the particular circumstance.

If you have a question, please contact our Benefit Specialist, Lori East (Professional staff).

What happens when you are unwell and unable to attend work?

What you need to do

What type of medical certificate is required?

Certificate requirements

All medical certificates should be forwarded to HR by the online portal Medical Absence or by email to MedicalLeave@cunet.Carleton.ca.  These documents are confidentially stored.

For privacy reasons, diagnosis information is not required

A medical certificate is considered satisfactory when it contains the following information:

All absences

Longer absences – in addition to prognosis, the following information is required:

Functional Abilities and Limitations Forms

If we do not have satisfactory medical information, we will send the employee all the Functional Abilities and Limitations (FAF) forms via email, so that they can have their treating medical practitioner use the appropriate form.

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FAF – Cognitive

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FAF – Combined Physical and Cognitive

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FAF – Physical

If the medical document indicates that the leave is due to work-related issues, you can expect that a member of the Employee/Labour Relations team will reach out to you for details, as well they will contact your Manager.

*A WSIB claim may also be initiated if the leave is considered work-related

Remember: We do not need diagnosis information

Once you start a medical leave

HR will reach out to you for periodic updates on prognosis and the ability to commence a return-to-work plan with or without temporary accommodations.

HR will manage the leave and provide supportive resources.

It is important that you communicate with HR using a non-Carleton email, in addition to communicating by phone.

Preparing for a return to work

Returning to work

If you are returning from a long medical absence, long-term disability or a WSIB (Workers’ Safety Insurance Board) absence, you may require a transitional period to return to full duties.

Your roles & responsibilities

To-do list

Available Resources For You

Employee and Family Assistance Program

The Employee and Family Assistance Program offers free and confidential services to you, your spouse and children:

  24-hour helpline services

  Personal Counselling

Work/Life Consultation

At Work Services program managed by Canada Life

This is a voluntary support program.  This program does not adjudicate or validate sick leave.  Instead, the program can help address medical and non-medical issues and offers:

This voluntary program is available while you are at work or if you are on an extended leave.  HR may offer this to you, but you may also request this supportive program.