Hey everyone,

I'm new to the process, just recently met with the surgeon and have started the check off process to meet all of the requirements of both the office and my insurance company for gastric bypass. I have to start a 24 week weight management program, and to be honest, they are giving me more grief about starting than the surgeon's office! Once I can finally get started with them, I have 24 weeks minimum until I can qualify for a surgery date. I work as a nurse, so while the office typically recommends 10 days off, I'm going to need more when the time comes. I'm not sure how to go about letting management know, how much time should I give them in advance ? Our schedules are typically in stone over a month in advance and we are understaffed right now, so I just don't know how and when to handle this. Do I apply for fmla and/or short term disability? How far in advance did y'all talk to hr or management ? And should I go through hr or my manager ? I have no idea what I'm doing

First off, check your employee or HR handbook and review their medical leave policies. I'll be eligible for Short Term Disability and my surgeon will be recommending 3 weeks off of work. I can request STD benefits no sooner than 15 days before my surgery per their policy.

I've told my manager that I'll be requesting time off for medical leave as soon as I made the decision to have the surgery back in April when I started the process. I had hoped to have the surgery in July. Well, I'm scheduled for December 12th, so that plan didn't work out, but I've been keeping my manager up to date so when my surgery was finally scheduled, it wasn't a surprise.

I had the same 24 week time frame for managed weight loss. I am a school teacher so I like you knew I would need at least three weeks off because it's a demanding job. When I started my 24 weeks I told my boss. I updated him thought that time and then as soon as I knew a surgery date I told him. I took Fmla leave so that the school could bring in a certified teacher (retired teacher) and pay her a good salary instead of substitute pay. My boss was much happier because he was well informed the entire process. I have 8 weeks of sick leave pay so I just used that for my 3 weeks off. I go back to work Monday.

I let human resources know the date i got my date for surgery. We did not discuss amount of time they wanted me to take off. When the surgeons office sent them the fmla documents he stated a little more than 2 weeks. my job had no say so on when i needed to come back.

At my job I qualify for both FMLA and STD for my surgery. I'm a nurse who assists a psychiatrist so he knows about my surgery coming up, sometime end of January. My office manager just started a month ago so I haven't told her until I have the surgery date pre-scheduled, which I'll know mid-Dec. And that will be that, the forms go through HR so whatever surgeon decides on time off, so be it