Fitness For Duty Certification

A fitness for duty certification is a certification from the employee s health care provider that the employee can resume work.

Fitness for duty certification. Here are some of the key things to note. An employee on a medical leave under the family and medical leave act fmla must present this fitness for duty certification to their supervisor prior to returning to work. See 825. The family and medical leave act fmla guidelines are applied to employees who are on paid or.

It is a statement that an employee is fit to get back to his or her job and can handle all of that job s essential functions. An employer may require a fitness for duty certification as a condition of the employee s return to work at the end of fmla leave only if. The key elements of the certification process are listed below. If an employer has a uniformly applied policy and will require an employee to provide a fitness for duty certification the employer must notify the employee of this requirement in the fmla designation notice provided to the employee at the beginning of the leave.

However an employer that requests a follow up medical examination might violate a different federal law the americans with disabilities act ada. The employee is required to provide a complete and sufficient fitness for duty certification completed by his or her health care provider prior to returning to work from fmla leave. The fmla s fitness for duty certification is simply a doctor s note stating that the employee is able to resume work. This certification is being sought only with regard to the particular health condition that caused the employee s need for fmla leave.

Under the regulations an employer may require that the fitness for duty certification address the employee s ability to perform the essential functions of the position if the employer has appropriately notified the employee that this information will be required and has provided a list of essential functions. A fitness for duty certification is in a basic sense just what it sounds like. Fitness for duty to return from leave certification an employee on family and medical leave because of his her own serious medical condition must present this release to his her supervisor prior to or on the day he she returns to work. Additionally an employer may.

Requirements for employer requesting certification. An employer s policy requiring fitness for duty. A fitness for duty certification helps an employer assess whether or not an employee is safe to return to their previous position after experiencing major health problems.