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HRM 60-201
Application for Leave or Leave of Absence Without Pay form (www.hrm.msstate.edu)
and the required medical certification form.
An employee who fails to return to University employment at the end of an approved
leave of absence will be liable to reimburse the University through the accounts
receivable process for insurance premiums paid for the employee during the unpaid
leave of absence, unless the failure to return is due to the continuation, recurrence, or
onset of a serious health condition, or something beyond the employee's control.
Medical certification is required within thirty (30) days of the end of the approved leave to
document reasons for failure to return to University employment following an approved
leave of absence. Failure to provide the required medical certification will result in the
employee’s liability to reimburse the University for insurance premiums paid for the
employee.
An employee who returns to works for at least thirty (30) calendar days is considered to
have “returned” to work. An employee who transfers directly from taking FMLA leave to
retirement, or who retires during the first thirty (30) days after returning to work, is
deemed to have returned to work.
An employee requesting family and medical leave must provide the department head
with a medical certification form from a health care provider indicating a serious health
condition for the employee's own health or that of a family member. The department
head may request re-certification of a serious health condition no more often than every
six (6) months unless circumstances change. If a department head questions the validity
of the certification provided, the Department of Human Resources Management may
be requested (but in no case may it be the employee’s direct supervisor) to contact
the employee’s health care provider to authenticate or clarify the medical certification.
However, the health care provider may not be asked for additional
information beyond that required by the medical certification form. The employee
may be required to obtain the opinion of a second health care provider designated or
approved by the department head (at the department’s expense). This request must be
made through the appropriate administrative channels to the Director of Human
Resources Management. The selected health care provider cannot be an employee of
the University. If the opinions of the employee’s and the department’s designated health
care providers differ, the department may require the employee to obtain certification
from a third health care provider, again at the department’s expense. This third opinion
shall be final and binding. The third health care provider must be approved jointly by the
department and the employee. Again, this request must be made through the
appropriate administrative channels to the Director of Human Resources Management.
In the case of childbirth or placement of a child through adoption or foster care,
certification must include: 1) documentation by the attending physician in the case of
childbirth, or verification by a judge of the placement of a child in the case of adoption or
foster care; and, 2) the probable duration of the leave requested.
In order to minimize disruptions to the work environment, an employee is encouraged to
provide the department head with as much advance notice as possible when there is a
need for family and medical leave. After a period of leave due to the serious health
condition of an employee, the employee must present a fitness for duty certification to
indicate the ability to return to work.