I Need Surgery. What Should I Do?

If you require medical leave for a surgical procedure, please take the following actions.

1. If your surgery is foreseeable, notify your supervisor of your impending absence at least 30 days in advance of your surgery date. If you need surgery immediately or on short notice, notify your supervisor as soon as possible.

Be sure to follow any time and attendance protocols that are required at your worksite, including reporting your absence to SEMS and completing leave request forms.

2. Investigate your available leave balance by accessing Employee Self Service, consulting your timekeeper, or contacting the IDLM office.

3. Prior to surgery, complete and submit the Extended Leave/FMLA Application, along with the medical certification forms completed by your physician.

a. Effective July 1, 2021, AACPS will require employees to substitute sick leave for unpaid FMLA leave. As a result, if an employee has sick leave available, and the employee is approved to use FMLA for a qualifying event, AACPS will run the employee's accrued leave concurrently with FMLA.

b. If you do not have enough sick leave available to cover your period of absence, you may elect to use annual or personal business at the depletion of your sick leave. Be mindful this will not extend your eligible period of FMLA leave. Accrued paid leave options will run concurrently with FMLA.

c. If you are not eligible for FMLA or JPAL, the leave management office will inform you of other options that might be available to you.

4. Return to work – Your physician must complete a “Return to Work Authorization form,”*** before your return to duty, if:

a. You are absent from work for more than 10 days, OR

b. You will return to duty with limitations, restrictions, or use an assistive device/boot

Under any of these circumstances, you must submit the form to the IDLM office, and be approved to return to duty in advance of your return date.