Hello lovelies!

So I was approved for surgery and have scheduled my surgery date for December 12, 2018. I have CIGNA insurance.

The only thing I'm coming across as an issue at the moment is trying to figure out how to start the process of filing FMLA. I will also be taking a bit of short-term disability, but the majority of my time off (I'm wanting to take four weeks off) will be based off my vacation time.

I talked to my supervisor and he said that it would be beneficial to the paperwork being sent to HR that I have a letter from the surgeon stating that I am having surgery and the recommendation of time out. I called my surgeon's office about it and they told me that I had to come in and sign a form that they can disclose that I'm having surgery to various parties. . . . but they didn't really give me a next step.

I know this is very specific to the individual's insurance. But is this something I handle on my own, or where do I go from here?

Let me know if you have any questions! TIA!

Hi! For me- my surgeon’s office didn’t fill out my FMLA and disability paperwork until about a week after my surgery.

Perhaps go and sign the paper at the doctors and have them submit a letter to your HR department saying you’re having surgery. Your employer probably wants the info to make a formal decision on granting you a request for leave under FMLA.

The first step is getting the FMLA approval. You can get the FMLA form for employee illness here: https://www.dol.gov/whd/forms/index.htm Your employer may have their own request for leave form you need to fill out first.

The second step is documenting the FMLA and reason for disability. The disability form is from whatever disability insurance company your employer uses.



The way things work, is you have to be out of work for a week before disability kicks in. So you’d likely want to use vacation time for the first week.. and then perhaps see about supplementing your disability with any additional vacation time you have (this would allow you to still get paid your usual amount, as disability is a fraction of that).

Your HR department should really be doing a better job at walking you through this process- as that’s what their job is! They should provide you with the necessary forms from the disability insurance provider.

Agreed—HR should give you all the forms needed and walk you through them.

34 minutes ago, insta_adventurer said:

Hi! For me- my surgeon’s office didn’t fill out my FMLA and disability paperwork until about a week after my surgery.

Perhaps go and sign the paper at the doctors and have them submit a letter to your HR department saying you’re having surgery. Your employer probably wants the info to make a formal decision on granting you a request for leave under FMLA.

The first step is getting the FMLA approval. You can get the FMLA form for employee illness here: https://www.dol.gov/whd/forms/index.htm Your employer may have their own request for leave form you need to fill out first.

The second step is documenting the FMLA and reason for disability. The disability form is from whatever disability insurance company your employer uses.



The way things work, is you have to be out of work for a week before disability kicks in. So you’d likely want to use vacation time for the first week.. and then perhaps see about supplementing your disability with any additional vacation time you have (this would allow you to still get paid your usual amount, as disability is a fraction of that).

Your HR department should really be doing a better job at walking you through this process- as that’s what their job is! They should provide you with the necessary forms from the disability insurance provider.

Oh wow, you're a life saver!

Honestly, this process concerning FMLA and STD has been the most difficult aspect of pre-op (at least to me.) I need to do a better job of being more assertive in asking what exactly is expected of me to do, you know? I was told by my supervisor that HR would reach out to my surgeon's office, but I don't think that's the case (since I haven't heard anything back.)

2 minutes ago, lzucks said:

Agreed—HR should give you all the forms needed and walk you through them.

Agreed as well!

I think part of the issue is that I hadn't signed the authorization to disclose my information and that could have prevented HR from moving forward and giving me the paperwork that my supervisor requested. Regardless, it's my fault that I'm having someone step in, rather than do it myself (my supervisor told me this is how he dealt with FMLA when two other of his people went out.) So I am just going to go on Tuesday and request the paperwork myself.

You two are awesome, I really appreciate it.

On 10/05/2018 at 21:06, batty_vsg said:

Oh wow, you're a life saver!

Honestly, this process concerning FMLA and STD has been the most difficult aspect of pre-op (at least to me.) I need to do a better job of being more assertive in asking what exactly is expected of me to do, you know? I was told by my supervisor that HR would reach out to my surgeon's office, but I don't think that's the case (since I haven't heard anything back.)

10/05/2018 08:53 PM, lzucks said:

Agreed—HR should give you all the forms needed and walk you through them.

Agreed as well!

I think part of the issue is that I hadn't signed the authorization to disclose my information and that could have prevented HR from moving forward and giving me the paperwork that my supervisor requested. Regardless, it's my fault that I'm having someone step in, rather than do it myself (my supervisor told me this is how he dealt with FMLA when two other of his people went out.) So I am just going to go on Tuesday and request the paperwork myself.

You two are awesome, I really appreciate it.

No problem! Yes, it’s overwhelming to deal with it all. I was super lucky that we have great HR people who guided me through the whole process and answered any questions I had.

Hopefully yours will step up.

It’s hard to be assertive sometimes and I’ve struggled with it, too. But sometimes you have to advocate for yourself to get what you want/need. This is a time to prioritize YOU and what’s best for you. Good luck! Can’t wait to hear how it goes!