Maternity leave question - note from doctors office?

Mrs.Ram

I am requesting 16 weeks for maternity leave (my boss and I have already worked it out) - mostly comprised of my personal/sick leave and voluntary leave donations. To do the VLDP (Voluntary Leave Donation Program), I have to get a doctors note including "dates of incapacitation due to medical emergency." I called the doctors office, and the standard note they write includes 6 weeks for vaginal birth and 8 for c-section, and can include a line about how much I am requesting.

I'm worried this note is going to screw me out of the 16 weeks I am hoping to get (and that my boss has approved). My HR contact was not very helpful when I asked about it. Has anyone else had to deal with this?

Sofka

if you had already worked out it w/ your boss, I don't see why it would be an issue; take the 1st 6 or 8 (if c-s) weeks as medical leave, or in your case as VLDP and take the rest as personal/sick leave days; it is true that the most your Dr will give you is 8 weeks, if c-s (unless there are other complications that require pre-labor bed rest of post labor recovery time)

Sofka

if you had already worked out it w/ your boss, I don't see why it would be an issue; take the 1st 6 or 8 (if c-s) weeks as medical leave, or in your case as VLDP and take the rest as personal/sick leave days; it is true that the most your Dr will give you is 8 weeks, if c-s (unless there are other complications that require pre-labor bed rest or post labor recovery time)

crazyDCbride

My agency is pretty strict about maternity leave... using the 6 and 8 week standard outlined by OPM.

I wound up taking between 9-10, but got a doctor's note.  To get the note, I resorted to crying in the doctor's office, and begging her.  Lame, I know.  But, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.  She just wrote on a pad "Can return to work on April 6" - but she warned me that it really wouldn't stand up to any sort of audit, and that she wouldn't exagerrate my condition (or lack of condition) if someone were to call her about it.  I was considering faking post-partum depression just to get a note, but it wasn't necessary to stoop that low... (p.s. - I'm kinda joking, and I know that's totally flame-able, because I know it's a very serious and real thing...)

Artslvr

I don't think any doctor would write a note for 16 weeks, so you may need to think this through a little more if your HR dept. will only let you use donated leave with a doctors note... I think you have to use the donated leave only after you've exhausted your annual and sick leave.  My agency ceased to allow us to use donated leave, so you're doing well that they're entertaining the idea...

Mrs.Ram

The whole thing is pretty ridiculous if you ask me.

I looked at a friend's packet, and her doctors note just said something to the effect of "This person is under our care and her due date is X." I had my doctors office do that and will just tell HR that this is what the doctor gave me. Hopefully that will work...

vtkgirl77

My friend had a very difficult situation with her company in terms of maternity leave so it has taught me to get everything in writing. For now, one thing you could do is document everything you and your boss have agreed to and then have your manager forward it to HR with a comment like "this is the plan unless we hear otherwise...". Make sure to print out copies of everything and take it home with you so you have it while on maternity leave in case there is an issue.

Also, it may be a good thing if HR doesn't seem to know what's going on...

luv2lift

I was in the same situation with my first pregnancy.  My boss knew how long I planned to take off and everything was ok.  I needed to get my doctors office to sign papers for HR and since the paperwork said that I was "unable to work due to medical reasons" they would not sign me out for the full time.  They said there was NO medical reason why I couldn't go back to work. 

I don't know what I'm going to do this time around.