| Author | Subject: Alport's Syndrome and FMLA |
| David | Posted At 08:59:55 03/30/2003 I'm a 31 year old male who works for the state full-time. I have been experiencing most of the symptoms of chronic renal failure and was diagnosed with Alports when I was a young child. I have days where I am very much under the weather (vomiting, nausea, headaches, fatigue) and I have severe reoccurances of gout. Recently my employers have become sceptical of my reasons for calling in sick and some of the supervisors have become hostile. They believe I am "goldbricking", I would like to know if a person with Alports, who is still in the chronic stage, qualifies for Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Will most nephrologists be willing to sign off on it if the symptoms I listed occur on a regular basis? |
| Beth Witten | Re: Alport's Syndrome and FMLA (Currently 0 replies) Posted At 20:39:54 04/06/2003 As I'm sure you know, Alport's can cause kidney damage along with other problems (hearing loss, vision problems, etc.). If you haven't seen a nephrologist, I'd suggest that you go to one soon since you have these symptoms. Tell him/her your symptoms, when and how often they happen, and ask him/her to do lab tests to check your kidney function as well as to find out if you're anemic. Based on the lab test results, he/she may be able to recommend treatments that will relieve your symptoms so you can work full-time without having to ask for leave. So far as the FMLA, you might want to read information on the Department of Labor web site at www.dol.gov/esa/whd/fmla/. This section of the FMLA law regarding what conditions qualify someone for FMLA leave [www.dol.gov/dol/allcfr/ESA/Title_29/Part_825/29CFR825.114.htm]. The law doesn't specifically list all the illnesses that might qualify someone for FMLA. However, it does mention chronic illnesses like diabetes, asthma, epilepsy or kidney disease that often require medical visits during spells of illness and can have periods when the illness makes someone unable to work. If you have a question about whether you'd qualify for the FMLA that is not answered on the DOL web site, call the Department of Labor office in your area -- listed int the government section of the phone book. I would expect any doctor would want to examine you before signing off on any short or long-term leave request. |