S/O Sick days that don’t accumulate

At my Company, if you are sick for more than 5 days you are put on short-term disability. Part of your pay then comes from the State and the rest from your sick days (if you have any left). I forget the ratio, but if it is 70/30, then 30% of the hours that you are out of work is taken from your sick time. At my Company, we also have to ability to buy extra disability pay that kicks in to cover what you sick days don't. But, it is optional and not everyone buys it.

At my husband's employer, you are put on short term disability for that period. You also have the opportunity (once a year) to purchase long term disability coverage in varying degrees to cover anything that goes longer than 6 weeks.

My husband works for a company that is supposed to be one of the best in the country as far as benefits and he is awarded plenty of sick time (that does roll over). You can be out for 3 days per incidence, but beyond that a doctor's note is required. If you call in sick more than 3 times in a 12 month period, you are written up and it is put in your file. Which is a complete and total bullshit policy if you ask me, but I guess it's due to people calling in when they are not sick.

It depends on your employer. They aren't required to pay you for not working. Some companies do have short/long term disability insurance if you want to purchase it (and can afford it!) That will provide a percentage of your salary if you are out of work.

Oh, well, you just rely on your trust fund while you recuperate. 😉Accumulating sick time is just dead weight that no one deserves and no one should have to pay for. What kind of lazy person takes 6 weeks off from work to heal from an emergency? Why didn’t that person plan ahead and save for such an occurrence. How lazy can they be? Why should I be in the hook for their poor planning (That’s Sarcasm in case you don’t realize it! )


Honestly I think a person’s sick time should accumulate until they use it. However, I don’t think a retired person should take their sick time with them in cash. But I do think people should be able to accrue it to deal with real illnesses while they are there. But it’s a rarity any more for many employers to offer it. Instead of accumulating sick time my friends company takes your unused sick time to pay for your short & long term disability policy the next year. I think that is also fair. They have a really great policy and it’s still cheaper for her employer than accumulating sick days. You use your sick days then you pay your policy. Seems a reasonable compromise imho

Short term disability is not a given in the US. I have never worked somewhere tgat provided it. The vast majority of states do not have it. I work for my state and it doesn't cover until you are out for months, so a six week surgical recovery wouldn't be covered. Heck, our governor just gave us parental leave, not through the legislature, but by executive order.

Anyway, the above post that you struggle, and possibly lose your home is correct. The Americans with Disabilities Act will protect you having a job, but too many employers don't follow it. They certainly don't make it known. I helped two people this week with that information.

Agreed. It's a benefit. State workers and teachers are paid low salaries in the vast majority of areas. I work for the state that pays the lowest of the fifty! Those who complain can give up their corporate bonuses and perks!

I'm fortunate, my employer provides fifteen sick days per year (they do not accumulate and can also be used for spouses, children and I believe parents). After that as long as you've been a full time employee for at least two years, you get extended sick time, six months at full pay and six months at half pay.

Self employed - so there are no sick days. You just work through it. DH broke his leg and was in the hospital years ago, and thankfully family could help out with chores for a few days, and it wasn't harvest or planting time. They told him to not work for 3 weeks. He was back to work, somewhat hobbled, the next day after he got out of the hospital.

That was about 25 years ago. He has had one day since then that he was too sick to get up for chores. I managed them by myself that day, but I was sick too - just not as sick. (Flu). I was very concerned about him, as that is REALLY sick...

short term and long term disability policies are available. I've purchased policies through various employers and independently. They are relatively cheap, thankfully.

Some companies have sick leave banks or other ways that coworkers can share their time. Sometimes that is limited.

Twice I’ve had to take extended time off due to injury and illness. My company had great short term disability then in that it provided up to 26 weeks of coverage. Now it’s only 12 weeks. But I only received 60% of my regular pay minus all benefits costs. It was a struggle both times but I was very fortunate I had coverage. Illness or injuries can be completely devastating to American employees. 

Apparently, it also depends on you state. Here in California, we pay into state disability insurance. That kicks in if you're out more than two weeks.

I think part of the difference is that a district will have to pay a sub to cover that class while some employers just run short.
In my district they only pay about 60% and you have to have over a certain number of hours accumulated before they pay.
So in my district, it is better financially to pay out than have teachers take all their sick days

ADA picks up for unpaid leave where FMLA ends or completely misses. Unpaid leave for a disability is a reasonable accommodation according to the EEOC.

It's not a matter of length of time, but whether the medical problem (or cause of the problem if a co-morbidity) qualifies as a disability under the ADA. The ADA defines disability as a physical or mental disability that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Major life activities include breathing, walking, talking, hearing, seeing, sleeping, working, caring for one's self, and performing manual tasks. It also includes, but isn't limited to, major bodily systems such as endocrine, immune, digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, musco-skeletal systems.