Medical Leave FAQ

To apply for a Medical Leave, you must:

1. Complete and submit the Application for Leave of Absence form to the Disability Management Office (DMO).
2. Have your health care provider complete and submit the Certification of Employee's Serious Health Condition form to the DMO. This form substantiates your medical condition and provides the medical details of your time off.
3. Completed forms may be faxed or mailed to the DMO:
   • Fax: 517-241-9926
   • Mail: Disability Management, PO BOX 30002, Lansing, MI 48909
     
   • Email: MCSC-DMO@michigan.gov
4. Notify your supervisor of your time off and follow your department's normal timekeeping procedures until you receive notification that your leave has been approved by DMO.
5. After receiving all necessary documentation DMO will:

• Email your supervisor and HR office of your request for leave.
• Mail you a letter providing your available FMLA entitlement.
• Mail you a letter of approval or denial of the leave request.

If you need to start your leave earlier than anticipated, you should contact the DMO as soon as possible at 877-443-6362, option 2. Untimely notice or incomplete forms may delay the processing of your leave of absence.

If you are not eligible for FMLA, you may still be eligible for a Medical Leave under Civil Service Rules or your collective bargaining agreement.

The table below depicts general entitlement information; this is a guideline and you should refer to your union contract or Civil Service Rules.  You may contact the DMO at 877-443-6362, option 2, if you are unsure of your entitlement.

For Non-FMLA leaves, you must submit the following two forms to the Disability Management Office (DMO):

• Application For Leave of Absence
• Non- FMLA Medical Certification By Physician or Practitioner

If you are unsure of what form to complete or your entitlements, contact the DMO at 877-443-6362 (Option #2).

Completed forms may be faxed or mailed to the DMO:

Fax: 517-241-9926

Mail: Disability Management Office, PO Box 30002, Lansing, MI 48909

Email: MCSC-DMO@michigan.gov

To document your health condition, you will need to have your health care provider submit the relevant medical facts related to your health condition on the Certification of Employee's Serious Health Condition form or Non- FMLA Medical Certification By Physician or Practitioner.

Once the Disability Management Office (DMO) has received this form, it will be used to evaluate your need for a Medical Leave request.

Yes. A Medical Leave will count against your entitlement as determined by Civil Service Rules or your collective bargaining agreement:

You should refer to your union contract or Civil Service Rules. You may contact the Disability Management Office (DMO) at 877-443-6362, option 2, if you are unsure of your entitlement.

A paid leave is when you use accumulated sick leave, annual leave, banked leave time (BLT), or comp time to provide you with pay while you are on leave.  You remain on the state payroll while using your leave credits.

An unpaid leave begins once you have exhausted your sick leave credits and have no leave credits available or have frozen your leave credits.  This would take you off the state payroll.

If you are enrolled in Long Term Disability (LTD), you may be eligible for income protection.  To file a claim or inquire about coverage, you should contact Sedgwick at 800-324-9901 as soon as possible.

If you are enrolled in LTD, you must submit an application to Sedgwick. If your claim is approved, your LTD coverage begins 14 days after your last day of work or when all sick leave credits have been exhausted - whichever is later. Sedgwick will determine the amount and duration of your coverage. To ensure timely payment, contact them approximately two weeks before exhausting your sick leave credits. Sedgwick can be contacted at 800-324-9901.

To be eligible for FMLA, you must have 12 months of employment with the State of Michigan (does not need to be consecutive) and you must have physically worked 1,250 hours within the previous 12 months.

To find out what your FMLA entitlements are, contact the Disability Management Office (DMO) at 877-443-6362, option 2.

Your health, dental, vision, and dependent life insurance premiums will continue to be deducted from your paycheck while you use leave credits and remain on payroll. 

Once you are no longer receiving a paycheck, the Employee Benefits Division (EBD) will mail you a (CS-1820) Application to Continue Insurances that includes the plans (health, dental, vision, and life) that are eligible for continuation.  You must select the insurance plans you wish to continue and return the application to EBD. 

HEALTH INSURANCE/ LONG TERM DISABILITY (LTD)

• LTD is administered by Sedgwick.
• LTD will pay your entire health insurance premium for up to 6 months if you are receiving LTD. 
• LTD does not cover dental and vision premiums.

FMLA

• Dental and vision coverage will be extended through the last day of the pay period when your FMLA ends. 
• If you are no longer receiving a paycheck while covered under FMLA, your coverage for dental and vision will continue and your share of premiums will be deducted from your paycheck once you return to work.
• Once FMLA is exhausted, if you elected to continue your dental and vision coverage on the CS-1820 form, EBD will mail you an invoice.  You will be responsible for making a direct payment for coverage to continue.

LIFE INSURANCE

• Employee and Dependent Life Insurance coverage continues while on LTD and premiums are waived.
• For more information on Life Insurance coverage, review the benefit booklet on the EBD website at www.michigan.gov/employeebenefits.

If you have questions on the Application to Continue Insurances form (CS-1820), contact EBD at 1-800-505-5011.

Your health, dental, vision, and dependent life insurance premiums will continue to be deducted from your paycheck while you use leave credits and remain on payroll. 

Once you are no longer receiving a paycheck, the Employee Benefits Division (EBD) will mail you a (CS-1820) Application to Continue Insurances that includes the plans (health, dental, vision, and life) that are eligible for continuation.  You must select the insurance plans you wish to continue and return the application to EBD.

LONG TERM DISABILITY (LTD)

• LTD is administered by Sedgwick.
• LTD will pay your entire health insurance premium for up to 6 months if you are receiving LTD. 
• LTD does not cover dental and vision premiums.

DENTAL & VISION INSURANCE

• Your dental and vision coverage will stop at the end of the pay period of your last day paid.
• If you elected to continue your dental and vision coverage on the CS-1820 form, EBD will mail an invoice and you will be responsible for making a direct payment for coverage to continue.

LIFE INSURANCE

• Employee and Dependent Life Insurance coverage continues while on LTD and premiums are waived. 

If you have questions on the Application to Continue Insurances form (CS-1820), contact EBD at 1-800-505-5011.

Your health, dental, vision, and dependent life insurance premiums will continue to be deducted from your paycheck while you use leave credits and remain on payroll. 

Once you are no longer receiving a paycheck, the Employee Benefits Division (EBD) will mail you a (CS-1820) Application to Continue Insurances that includes the plans (health, dental, vision, and life) that are eligible for continuation.  You must select the insurance plans you wish to continue and return the application to EBD. 

FMLA

• Health, dental, and vision coverage will be extended through the last day of the pay period of when your FMLA ends. 
• If you are no longer receiving a paycheck while covered under FMLA, your coverage for health, dental, and vision will continue and your share of premiums will be deducted from your paycheck once you return to work.
• If FMLA exhausts and you elected to continue any plans on the CS-1820 form, EBD will mail an invoice and you will be responsible for making a direct payment for coverage to continue.

LIFE INSURANCE

• Employee and Dependent Life Insurance coverage will stop at the end of the pay period of your last day paid.
• If life insurance was selected on the CS-1820, an invoice will be mailed from EBD to continue the coverage.

If you have questions on the Application to Continue Insurances form (CS-1820), contact EBD at 1-800-505-5011.

Your health, dental, vision, and dependent life insurance premiums will continue to be deducted from your paycheck while you use leave credits and remain on payroll. 

Once you are no longer receiving a paycheck, the Employee Benefits Division (EBD) will mail you a (CS-1820) Application to Continue Insurances that includes the plans (health, dental, vision, and life) that you are eligible to continue.  You must select the insurance plans you wish to continue and return the application to EBD. 

HEALTH, DENTAL, VISION & LIFE INSURANCE

• Your health, dental, vision, and life insurance coverage will stop at the end of the pay period of your last day paid.
• If you elected to continue your health, dental, vision, or life insurance coverage on the CS-1820 form, EBD will mail an invoice and you will be responsible for making a direct payment for coverage to continue.

If you have questions on the Application to Continue Insurances form (CS-1820), contact EBD at 1-800-505-5011.

It is your responsibility to inform your supervisor of your initial request to take time off for a leave and any subsequent extensions. This allows your department time to appropriately schedule staff and workloads.

The Disability Management Office (DMO) will notify you and your supervisor via mail or email when a determination has been made on your leave request. Until then, you should be keeping your supervisor informed of your status.

You must exhaust your sick leave credits before taking a Medical Leave of Absence (MLOA). 

You do not have to exhaust your other leave credits.  You may be permitted to use other leave credits before taking a MLOA in accordance with your department policy or applicable collective bargaining agreement.   When use of other leave credits is permitted, you may designate your preference to freeze all, some or none of your other leave credit on the Application for Leave of Absence.

If you are eligible for FMLA, your time off work during a Medical Leave will count toward your FMLA entitlement

FMLA begins with the date that your health care provider certifies that you can no longer work.

You may qualify to take time off for a qualifying family member who is experiencing a serious health condition; this would be considered a Family Care Leave.

You may extend a leave for the same medical condition by submitting updated medical documentation from your health care provider.  The documentation must be signed by the provider, indicate the reason for the extension, and have an estimated return to work date.

If your extension is for a new medical issue or condition, you will need to submit a new Application for Leave of Absence and Certification of Employee’s Serious Health Condition.

It is your responsibility to inform your supervisor of your request for an extension. This allows them to appropriately schedule staff and workloads.

Before returning to work, you must submit to the Disability Management Office (DMO) a release statement from your health care provider.  It must be on official letterhead or a prescription notepad stating you may return.

If your return to work includes restrictions, your health care provider must identify what those restrictions are and their end date.

All restrictions must be approved by DMO and your department before your return.

If the DMO does not receive your restrictions several days in advance, it may delay your return to work.

Depending on the condition, you may be eligible for an FMLA Intermittent Leave.

Disability Management Office (DMO) is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Contact them by phone at 877-443-6362, option 2.  You may also fax documentation to 517-241-9926.