Employees in the following employment classifications are eligible to request medical leave as described in this policy:
* Regular full-time employees
* Regular part-time employees
Eligible employees may request medical leave only after having completed 365 calendar days of service. Exceptions to the service requirement will be considered to accommodate disabilities.
Eligible employees should make requests for medical leave to their supervisors at least 30 days in advance of foreseeable events and as soon as possible for unforeseeable events.
A health care provider's statement must be submitted verifying the need for medical leave and its beginning and expected ending dates. Any changes in this information should be promptly reported to FreedomPark. Employees returning from medical leave must submit a health care provider's verification of their fitness to return to work.
Eligible employees are normally granted leave for the period of the disability, up to a maximum of 12 weeks within any 12 month period. Any combination of medical leave and family leave may not exceed this maximum limit. If the initial period of approved absence proves insufficient, consideration will be given to a request for an extension.
Employees who sustain work-related injuries are eligible for a medical leave of absence for the period of disability in accordance with all applicable laws covering occupational disabilities.
Subject to the terms, conditions, and limitations of the applicable plans, health insurance benefits will be provided by FreedomPark until the end of the first full month of medical leave. At that time, employees will become responsible for the full costs of these benefits if they wish coverage to continue. When the employee returns from medical leave, benefits will again be provided by FreedomPark according to the applicable plans.
Benefit accruals, such as vacation, sick leave, or holiday benefits, will be suspended during the leave and will resume upon return to active employment.
So that an employee's return to work can be properly scheduled, an employee on medical leave is requested to provide FreedomPark with at least two weeks advance notice of the date the employee intends to return to work. When a medical leave ends, the employee will be reinstated to the same position, if it is available, or to an equivalent position for which the employee is qualified.
If an employee fails to return to work on the agreed upon return date, FreedomPark will assume that the employee has resigned.