Time off for medical appointments and tests

• If you have a scheduled appointment for a procedure that requires preparation and/or the day off, medical should be provided by way of a doctor's note, or the completion of the Sick Leave/Return to Work Form (PDF) to support the time needed for the medical test to the Disability Management Team. It will be reviewed and verified by Occupational Health to determine if the time should be recorded as sick leave.
• A medical appointment that relates to the illness during the ramp-up period of a return to work plan after extended sick leave or LTD (i.e. physiotherapy).
• If necessary, ramp-up hours can be worked around the appointment; if that is not possible, however, the whole day is recorded as a sick day.

Sick leave and LTD are not payable during layoff, although the qualifying period for LTD can be met during a layoff period. Sick leave benefits do not accrue during periods of layoff. 

If an employee is receiving sick leave before a layoff, sick leave pay ends at the time on the layoff effective date. If illness prevents a return to work on the permanent recall effective date, any remaining sick leave is payable followed by eligible LTD benefit payments.

The Disability Management Team must be contacted in situations when the employee is ill prior, during, or recalled from a period of layoff.

Examples:

• If an employee is laid off but due to work demands or seniority is recalled, sick leave would normally apply.
• If an employee becomes ill while on layoff, sick leave is not payable. If the employee continues to be ill at the permanent recall date, any remaining sick leave is payable at that time.
• If an employee is laid off and is recalled for a temporary period of time but is unable to return for the temporary period due to illness, the employee is not eligible for sick leave.
• If the employee is called back temporarily and becomes unable to work due to illness, the employee is eligible to use available sick leave benefits for the duration of the temporary recall period.
• If the permanent recall date arrives and a return to work is not possible due to illness, remaining sick leave benefits or LTD are payable.

Note: Absences due to workplace injury are governed by Workplace Safety and Insurance Bureau legislation

Staff and Canadian Union of Public Employees 793 positions are kept open for one year from the first date absent.

If, at the one-year timeframe, a return is not imminent (imminent defined as within the following two months), departments are permitted to fill the position and any outstanding vacation owed to the employee will be paid at that time.