Graduate Student Medical Leave

As a student, should you find yourself in a situation where a medical (e.g. physical or mental health) leave is required, you are responsible for submitting the Change of Enrolment Status form to your academic program’s department/school, indicating ‘medical leave’ as a reason for changing your enrolment status. No additional information is required by the program contact (including your supervisor). 

All medical information is collected, in confidence, by AccessAbility Services through a secure process, as outlined below, and your student record is updated by Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA) appropriately, after the verification process is completed by AccessAbility Services.  This process assures that your medical records remain confidential and ensures compliance with human rights legislation.

Process

If you need to go inactive because of a medical reason (e.g., physical or mental health), complete the following steps:

Step 1: Submit a Change of Enrolment Status Form to your academic department to inform them of your request. 

Step 2: Discuss any possible affects to your funding, TA/RA appointments and your academic progress with your supervisor and/or department graduate coordinator. Note that if your funding has been reduced, GSPA will automatically consider you for a Graduate Student Medical Leave Award, after completing Step 3 and 4 below.

Step 3: Download and print the Graduate Student Medical Leave Verification Form; take the form to your health care professional to complete.

Step 4: Upload your Graduate Student Medical Leave Verification Form, and all supporting documentation to the AccessAbility Services' secure site. The verification documents will be used by AccessAbility Services to verify the request for a medical leave.

Upon successful verification of the medical leave request, AccessAbility Services will notify GSPA to confirm your request for a change of enrolment status. GSPA will not have access to your medical documentation, but will have access to your request to change your enrolment status for medical reasons and to review your eligibility for the Graduate Student Medical Leave award (if applicable). 

Appointments with a registered health care professional can take some time to arrange; if possible, we encourage you to begin the process to obtain documentation early on in the enrolment change process.

Please note that you are responsible for any charges that may be incurred for the completion of the form by the registered health care professional.