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If You Live In The United States, And Are Still Working, Do You Know How To Make A Reasonable Request To Have Time Off From Work?
Many people do not know this, but in the United States, you can ask for time off to go to your HIV appointments, AND be able to make up that lost time. If you have a set schedule of Monday to Friday, you CAN request to work weekends or work longer days on the other days to MAKE UP for the time off, so you could work four 10 hour days instead of five 8 hour days. A job schedule modification IS a reasonable accommodation under the law. My job knows about my HIV status, so I include it in my… read more
I will freely admit that once I " came out at work " suddenly I became the go to guy to get Intel on Hiv / AIDS among the management and staff which made me feel good .
My girls rallied around me if something went wrong such as my getting sick mid shift and after throwing up took a seat in the break room and my girls took over my tables .
Suddenly one of them came to the back and then whoop there he was a manager looking at me telling me I looked bad and should go home .
My girls already having decided my tables had no problems with me leaving ( in fact one even walked me to my car " just to make sure ya make it " .
Now if such actions are not displays of sheet compassion then I want to know what it is .
I just make a normal request for paid time away, with no reason given. Because I am an overnighter at work, I will usually consolidate my appointments into one day thereby requesting that particular day off. Bloodwork is a 10-minute walk-in thing with Clinical Labs of Hawaii or Diagnostic Labs of Hawaii usually done early morning or midweek when less people are at the clinic, fortunate that the bloodwork is done just twice yearly and no need to request time away.
In the rare occasion that I have to travel to Honolulu for medical care, I will request several paid days off turning it into a mini vacation staying with my eldest daughter who lives on Oahu, pick up a rental at the airport to get to my appt., and with the benefit of my BCBS medical coverage paying for a portion of my flight, based on my doctor's orders. Usually, a round-trip flight on the same day, once my medical visit in Honolulu is done, I make a flight change to extend my time on Oahu with no change fee. I don't require a reasonable accommodation at work since my functioning is as one without HIV. Stigma is real and there is no reason for me to disclose my HIV since I can certainly guarantee I will be looked at and treated very differently at work should anyone at work know my status, despite being undetectable, anyone without full knowledge of HIV and Undetectable status could care less thus labeling me as being tainted. We have many bodily fluid hazard mitigation kits at work in all of the warehouses and in my office as well. I was fortunate when I had that accident in June of 2024, my fractured tibia and fibula did not break my skin since I was covered up with a freezer suit and freezer boots, all heavily insulated, no blood was spilled, only the sight of the broken bones protruding under the skin of my left leg seen once the EMT cut the suit off of me and managed to pull the boot off before swelling outside of the freezer started. I have excessive PTO that is capped at 520 hours, a little over 2 months, anything over the 520 must be used, paid out, or forfeited if not done based on the companies PTO guidelines. Since I make the schedules at work for the overnight shift, I will make my own coverage but still follow the formalities required for requesting time away. Many employers have different, yet similar, processes in place for taking time away. Some stricter or more restrictive than others. @A myHIVteam Member I like your formal approach to this, providing some guidance for those who may need it. Mahalo!
I'm going back to sleep, just woke up to do meds. It is 2pm here in Hawaii.
@A myHIVteam Member, you'll need to reread it, I am NOT asking for a week off.
@aaon100 because under the ADA law, the employer has to do specific things for accommodation. For example, if I asked for a aerodynamic chair just because, they do not have to supply me with one. If I ask for an aerodynamic chair under the ADA, then they HAVE to get me one. If I make a doctor appointment for a certain day, they can tell me to schedule it on a different day. But if I ask for that certain day off under the ADA, then they HAVE to give me that day off AND let me make up for it. If I just ask for a day off to go to the doctor, they do not have to let me make up that day, but if I request it under the ADA, they have to. You do not have to give them why you are requesting ADA.
I also work in the University's dining hall. If for some reason I need a service animal, They have to let me have one but I will need to request it under the ADA. They just won't let me have a service dog all day long otherwise. Another example if someone request to use the bathroom a lot, they can tell that person no because they think they are just being lazy, but if they give the employer doctor paperwork accompanied by the ADA paperwork, then they have no choice to let you use the bathroom more frequently.
According to the ADA website:
Employers should be advised of an employee's intention to use the ADA when an employee needs a reasonable accommodation to perform their job duties due to a disability, which can be done by directly informing them that they require an adjustment or change related to a medical condition, whenever an employee's disability is impacting their ability to work effectively and they need support to overcome those challenges.
Also, it is NOT federal law to get 3 to 5 sick days a year, that would be your employers choice and it is not a state law either, unless certain states require it. Starting January 1, 2025, yes, THIS YEAR, the state of Michigan just NOW made it mandatory for employers to give sick pay days, if it was a federal law, the state would not have had to pass a law on it.
Here is the federal law:
https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/workhours/sic....
Full 8 hour day? Well it takes me 1 hour and 45 minutes ONE WAY to get to my closest HIV doctor and of course another 1 hour and 45 minutes back, so just driving time is 3 and a half hours alone. Since my doctors are so far away, I try to make all my appointments the same day. I can leave here at 7 AM some days and not get back until 6 PM by the time I see everyone, drive, and stop at the food pantry and the HIV food pantry.
@A myHIVteam Member but a leave of absece you will not get paid for and I don't want to use my PTO time. This way, you'll still get paid.
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