Disability


	What is a disability leave and how is it handled?
	What if an employee claims to have an underlying medical condition and/or requests some form of medical accommodation?
	Can an employee out on a disability leave of absence who exhausts their sick leave use accrued, unused vacation and/or personal days?
	What happens if an employee becomes seriously ill or requires medical attention prior to or during scheduled vacation?

Question: What is a disability leave and how is it handled?

Answer:

New York State Disability benefits are cash benefits provided to eligible employees while disabled due to non-occupational or off-the-job illness or injury. All employees are eligible except Officers of Instruction and Officers of the Libraries, or those covered by a union contract for disability. To be eligible for New York State Benefits a full-time employee must have worked at least four (4) consecutive weeks prior to the start of disability. A part-time employee must have worked at least 25 consecutive days prior to the start of disability. Benefits are paid for a maximum of 26 weeks during a period of 52 consecutive weeks.

An employee—a support staff member or an officer of administration or research—who is absent for more than seven consecutive calendar days (five work days) due to a reported illness or injury that is not job-related must file a New York State Disability Claim Form (DB-450). The employee or their supervisor should send or fax this form to:

Return to Work Program Manager
Columbia University Human Resources
1220 Interchurch Center, MC 7710
475 Riverside Drive
New York, NY 10115
Phone: (212) 870-3464
Fax: (212) 870-2810

If the employee sends the DB-450 directly to the Return to Work Program Manager, they must still provide the supervisor with a note from an attending physician attesting to an inability to work for health reasons that covers the entire period of absence.

Note: Employees covered under the collective bargaining agreement with 1199 SEIU must file an 1199 disability claim form (not the DB-450) with their HR or departmental administrator.

SEE "Time Away From Work: Leaves of Absence and Disability Management", available from Human Resources Employee and Labor Relations, for necessary forms and information on the following topics: amount and duration of benefit, time limits for filing a claim, and claims processing.

Question: What if an employee claims to have an underlying medical condition and/or requests some form of medical accommodation?

Answer: When a staff member claims an underlying medical condition as the cause of an absenteeism problem, or if they request medical accommodation, a supervisor or HR representative should contact the Return to Work Program Manager (SEE above) for review and follow-up. This will assure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Question: Can an employee out on a disability leave of absence who exhausts their sick leave use accrued, unused vacation and/or personal days?

Answer:

Yes. The leave of absence, however, must be fully documented on the PAF to show the entire period of disability, as certified by the employee's attending physician on the DB-450, with appropriate codes to identify the type of leave and pay indicator. Note: The use of vacation and/or personal days can only be authorized upon the exhaustion of paid sick leave.

Check with your Human Resources representative or the Return to Work Program Manager (870-3464) for instructions on how to fill out the PAF.

Question:

What happens if an employee becomes seriously ill or requires medical attention prior to or during scheduled vacation?

Answer: If an employee becomes seriously ill prior to their scheduled vacation, as confirmed by the appropriate medical documentation, the period of disability should be charged to sick leave and treated like any disability circumstance, and the vacation should be restored. If an employee becomes seriously ill and is hospitalized during vacation, as confirmed by the appropriate medical documentation, the period of disability should be treated like any disability circumstance and the appropriate amount of vacation time restored. In all other situations, once a vacation commences the time cannot be charged to sick leave.