Do you need a doctor’s note to excuse you from missing work due to illness? Company policy and possibly state law dictate whether you need to provide a note. In most cases, you probably only need to produce a doctor’s note if you’re going to be out for more than a couple of days, but some employers may insist on a note for even a single day of missed work.
If you’re already getting medical care for your illness or injury, it’s easy enough to ask the doctor to write you a note (or a prescription for rest) while you’re there. But if you’ve just been feeling run down with a cold or flu for a few days and didn’t bother going to the doctor’s office, it can be easier to get a doctor’s note online. Make sure the doctor includes all the information your company needs, and uses your company’s form for sick notes if your company has one. Here’s what you need to do to get a doctor’s note for missing work.
Talk to Your Regular Doctor
If you’re going to your regular primary care provider to get treatment for your illness, you can ask him or her to write you a sick note for work. Check with your boss before you go in to see if you even need a note — many employers will just let you use a day or two of your sick leave or paid time off (PTO) for an illness, no questions asked. However, if you’re going to be out for more than a few days, you’ll probably need a note, and if you’re going to be out for more than a couple of weeks, you’ll definitely need a note.
In the case of a long-term absence due to a sickness or injury, you’re likely going to be working with a care team and will need documentation of your condition to give to your boss so you can get the benefits you’re owned under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which protects your right to take leave to care for your own health or that of a family member, including bonding with a new child.
Talk to an Online Doctor
Maybe you’re lying in bed feeling like death and don’t want to drag yourself down to the urgent care or your primary care provider’s office to get a prescription. When you’re too sick to work, it’s pretty easy to find yourself also too sick to go to the doctor. And while doctors these days don’t typically perform housecalls, a virtual visit is the next best thing.
You can describe your symptoms to your doctor in a telehealth visit, get a prescription to treat your condition, and get a doctor’s note to be excused from work, and you don’t even need to get out of bed or change out of your pajamas. Getting a doctor’s note from an online doctor is also more convenient if you’re feeling sick enough to stay home, but not necessarily so sick that you think you need urgent medical care. You can choose a quick 15-minute consultation with most telehealth providers, and that’s enough time to explain your company’s sick note policy, ask for a note, and let the doctor know what to put in the note.
Make Sure Your Doctor Knows What to Put in the Note
In general, a sick note will need to verify that your absence from work was necessary due to verified illness, although your doctor doesn’t need to specify your exact diagnosis and actually can’t due to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). However, the note should recommend a length of absence from work duties. If you’re going to need special accommodations when you return to work, those should be spelled out, too.
In many cases, your doctor can just write a regular note or letter advising your boss that you’re sick and need X days off to recover, followed by Y accommodations to support your continued recovery after you return to work. Some doctors will write a letter, others will write a prescription for a certain amount of rest and certain accommodations. Your company may require the doctor’s note to adhere to a certain format, and they may even have their own form for your doctor to fill out. Find out what exactly your doctor needs to do to comply with your company’s policy.
Do You Need to Write Your Own Note?
At some companies, you don’t need to have your doctor write you a sick note, but you do need to write your own letter or note explaining your absence. This note will be kept in your file in most cases. Find out whether you need to write an absence letter instead of getting a traditional sick note.
Many companies still require employees to get doctor’s notes when they have to miss work due to illness. Make sure you know what you need from your doctor to appease your boss, so you can focus on getting better.
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