It is very important that the medical note that you provide to your employer to substantiate your medical / disability leave is sufficient and properly written. Don’t expect your doctor to know how the note should be written from a legal standpoint and make sure that you keep the following five basic tips in mind when requesting medical leave or disability leave:
1. Your medical leave note should be written on the doctor or hospital’s letterhead and signed by your doctor. It should also have a date, so that there are no questions in the future about when you obtained that note.
2. Your medical leave note should reasonably identify the nature of your medical condition and the symptoms that require you to stay off work. Unless you have serious confidentiality concerns or you find your condition to be too private or embarrassing to disclose to your employer, there is no reason to hide that information from them, and providing basic details about your condition and limitations is in your interest, as it will give the employer the opportunity to find the best accommodations available.
3. Your medical leave note should state the dates of your projected absence and the date of your anticipated return to work. Even if you and your doctor are not sure when you will be able to return to work exactly, and even if you think you will most likely need to request an extension to this coming medical leave, you should still have an expected date of return included in your leave form, regardless of the need to change it in the future. This is because an employer doesn’t have an obligation to provide an employee indefinite leave.
4. You should transmit your medical leave paperwork to one or more supervisors if possible by fax and/or e-mail with proof of transmission. Ideally, you should transmit that paperwork to your supervisor, to your human resources management department and anyone else at your company who is charged with handling medical leave and disability issues.
5. If your management finds your medical leave paperwork to be deficient, you should fully cooperate with them and get the requested update as soon as possible, since it’s in your best interest to keep your employer informed of what exactly your medical issues and restrictions are and how long they are expected to last.
If you have any specific questions about providing medical leave notification to your employer, please feel free to contact for assistance.