Can you take a paid medical LOA for more than 12w (FMLA) for mental health adjustment disorder w/ anxiety/depression?
As Amazonians, we're actually eligible for up to 26w of paid medical leave since after the first day of employment. Contrary to popular belief, one year of tenure is not actually required.
Federal law provides 12w of unpaid protected leave under FMLA after 1 year of tenure, but Amazon's company policy allows for up to 26 weeks worth of paid medical leave under #STDI after 1 day of tenure, then even extra time after that under #LTDI. (However, LTDI is managed by an external insurance agent, so qualifications might be more strict; STDI at Amazon is self-insured and administered as part of Amazon DLS.)
Has anyone taken non-FMLA mental health leave, for up to the full 26w? Can they still be authorized by an LMFT the same way as the 12w leaves are? Can the diagnosis still be "adjustment disorder w/ anxiety + depressed mood", or does it have to be more severe in order to qualify?
#burnout #depression #mentalhealth #amazonbenefits #amazonaws #loa #fmla #stdi #ltdi #anxiety #pipped #pivot #focus #amazonpip
comments
I'm interested in any anecdotal evidence of:
1. Taking this after Pivot before 1 year of tenure. Does it stop the clock on Pivot? A regular PTO doesn't: deliverable deadline stays the same regardless whether or not any PTO is taken.
2. Taking LOA for more than 12 weeks after 1 year of tenure. Technically, your manager is no longer prohibited from firing you if you don't return after 12w; presumably they could decide to start back your Pivot clock after 12w.
However, based on people's experiences and DLS representation, as well as the new RSU 26w policy, as well as ADA (disability can only play a 0.0% role in a termination), the answer appears to be affirmative - it is supposedly allowed and the job is still protected. Make sure to confirm with your DLS case manager before extending past 12w.
Also, the policies do indicate that if your position is eliminated in a Personal LOA, then you'll still remain an employee until you come back; so it's highly unlikely that you can actually be fired during the leave, at most right after you come back. So, it may be best to take only after you actually fail Pivot before doing the Appeal.
I think STI may be good for an acute injury for a high performer whose manager loves them. Not for depression or anyone nearing PIP. Just my guess though.
So it is entirely conceivable that even if you're declared as having failed the Pivot, you could still come back and win Pivot Appeal and be allowed to switch teams.
OTOH, because reinstatement isn't guaranteed outside of FMLA, you could instead be fired and then you might neither have the opportunity to Improve or Appeal, nor take the severance, nor have any STDI payments for the full 26w anymore.
It's unclear how this works. If the firings during the leave are on the table, it's not very clear what's the whole purpose of having the insurance policy is.