Fmla or mental health disability leave from work

Merla · February 12

has anyone taken a leave from work to help their loved one get situated into a care environment? I'm contemplating taking a leave from work to do this and it would either be fmla (partially paid by the state if I qualify) or mental health disability (paid through company disability insurance). I'm really overwhelmed trying to manage work which has ever escalating demands and particularly exactly right now at work is very tough.

Quilting brings calm · February 12

When my sister and I realized how bad mom was and that we needed to emergency move her( and step-dad) back to my home state, I took FMLA with no advance notice. I did the paperwork while 12 hours away from my job. So the state ( I worked for the state) put it in as a full FMLA. That ended up being for the two weeks to get her home and stable in the hospital. I commented about that event on a different post of yours. Then I switched it to intermittent so that I could just take time as needed. Her doctor had written the paperwork to also include any time I needed to go to the AL during my work hours in addition to taking her to the doctor and other issues. I had sick time available so I used that so I would get paid. The FMLA designation was so I did not have to worry about my job. It worked out well and I renewed it a year later. However I did end up retiring for several reasons - including the fact that I couldn’t predict if I was going to get to work the full week or have to take off to take my parents to the doctor etc. It was during COVID and they made up excuses to go to the doctor because they couldn’t leave the assisted living facility for any other reason without being quarantined.

Merla · February 12

Unfortunately due to the nature of my job, it only really makes sense to take a full leave. I need to find out if I would qualify for the state paid fmla leave. I'm just so burnt out on it all and I need to move my mom when work is extremely demanding, ie we just had massive layoffs and reorgs etc and I will need to scale up my work dramatically.

ARIL · February 13

Thank you for asking this question. I have been thinking about FMLA also, because my parent is declining at the same time that work obligations are becoming more challenging (staff cuts, financial hits, etc.). It is harder and harder to burn the candle at both ends and in the middle too.

SDianeL · February 13

Aspects of State Paid FMLA:

States with Programs: CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, MN, NJ, NY, OR, RI, WA.
Coverage: Typically funded via payroll taxes on employees/employers, providing 6-12 weeks of leave on average.
Purpose: Allows workers to take time off for their own health condition, to care for a sick family member, or for bonding with a new child.
Eligibility & Pay: Based on work location, with weekly benefits often calculated on a sliding scale of earnings.

getting approved for short term disability then long term disability through employers is usually very challenging. The "Maximum Benefit Period" is the absolute limit on how long you can collect.

Set Timeframes: Some plans only pay for a fixed period, such as 2, 5, or 10 years.
Retirement Age: Many plans pay until you reach age 65 or 67 (your Social Security Normal Retirement Age).
Condition-Specific Limits: Most policies limit benefits for mental health conditions (like depression or anxiety) and "subjective" conditions (like chronic fatigue)to 24 mos.

if you are not retirement age you would need to apply for SSDI once the employer LTD runs out.

Kelarue · February 13

My work has ask me to get a letter stating that I am the caregiver and will be assisting intermittently. I would then just use my sick days and not be penalized for missing work to care for my mom when needed instead of FMLA. I'm not sure if that is the best plan or not but it is the option that was given.

Rasheeda77 · February 14

I have taken FMLA leave along with short term disability (STD) for my own mental health while caring of my mom who lives with me. I would check your benefits and see if that is something your job offers you. You would need a therapist or psychiatrist or PCP to complete the paperwork explaining why you can't work right now. Typically it is an easy process as long as the information provided shows you are not able to work. I just recently took STD and then LTD while I was out this past year. STD pays you while you are out and the FMLA protects your job for up to 12 weeks.

Victoriaredux · February 14

There is another option- to hire a geriatric case manager- not inexpensive but they can manage the moves, paperwork etc.

Who can afford to lose their own job at their age to sit on hold trying to arrange moves, talk to realtors etc.

You can still be involved in the major decisions but not risk your future financial security. Something to consider if replacing your job and benefits would be difficult.

rplourde50 · February 14

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/75337/fmla-or-mental-health-disability-leave-from-work

I was advised to do FMLA and threatened that I would do so. The company countered that I could do part time with benefits, which I did for a year before retiring. It doesn’t hurt to have the conversation. Surprising how open companies can be to our situations.

Fmla or mental health disability leave from work

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