"Elective Surgery" - A Hitch

I was able to access sick days for my TT and arm lift.  I just had my surgeon write a letter (he left it off the letterhead that said "plastic surgeon") that said I was having surgery and needed 3 weeks off, and then 3 weeks of modified duty. 

It was never questioned.

I don't think the OHIP part even matters.  A lady in the CCC used short term disability from work - she not only got 15 weeks off for her self-pay Rny (in the US), but got half her mortgage paid for that 15 weeks since she was on STD.  So both insurance companies accepted a dr.'s note.

Bull****  Frankly, I wish you hadn't told anyone which surgery you were having.  It's none of their gawd damned business.  A note from your surgeon stating that you are having surgery and will be off for X amount of time is sufficient.

*pissed off reading things like this!*

Thanks everyone for the advice!  It really helped me clear my head and think about what to to and how to approach this.

Karen the reason I felt the need to tell my work was because we work with youth who have severe anorexia/bulimia and I was really worried about the impact on those youth seeing me lose weight so quickly and so drastically - and my boss is someone I've worked with for over 10 years and we're pretty close in terms of sharing our lives - we both have kids, etc. 

I never thought about it as "weight bias" before.....we are an agency very focused on social justice, equality, etc.  I am sure if I compared the surgery to a knee replacement and explained that a denial would be inappropriate they might come around - I had asked my boss not to tell anyone at head office about what kind of surgery I was having so I'm not sure if she actually did - I suppose I can clarify with her......I didn't expect this hurdle.  I have 8 weeks of extended sick leave stored up.

I'm sure if you talk to them and expalin the medical meaning of elective and give some examples of other elective surgeries they will understand and come around. Good luck, and if they flat out tell you that they won't cover your leave even after you talk to them, take it to the Human Rights Commission - obesity has been recognized in the Ontario courts as a disability.

Do you have an HR department?

No real HR department - just an HR person who is also part secretary.  Our polcies and procedures says that we need the approval of our management team to access our long term sick days.

Ahhhh... I see. 

I really hope this gets sorted out and in your favour, Melissa.  It just seems so wrong to me.

As an aside, I do "get" why you spoke to your manager about your surgery, both from a professional perspective and a "friendship" one as well.  I told my employees at work too, as we're an extremely close-knit group.  But they certainly didn't have any impact on whether or not the City would "appove" my time off. LOL

Yep!  I really didn't foresee any logistical problems lol...I just did what I also do and shared and now I'm regretting it a little bit.  Heh.  

keep in mind that your health care is confidential, and you are not required to inform them of what procedure you are having.

Technically, you need to disclose to your boss that you're having surgery & the amount of time off you'll require. That's all. You did not need to disclose what kind of surgery you're having. Heck, heart bypass surgery can technically be considered "elective". It doesn't mean it's not required. Duh!

In my case, I initially did not tell my boss what kind of surgery I was having & he was supportive (eventually I did). Because I work for a large company & I needed more than just a few sick days, I had to tap into Short Term Disability. At that point, a third party Insurance Company got involved to administer the request in a confidential manner. I NEVER was given a hard time about the type of surgery. It was fully approved. No issues. In fact, I went back to work 1 week before my approved time ended (I know, I'm a fool!)

I realize you may not work for a large company, but you do have certain basic employee rights. Find out how your long term sick days are administered. You may well need a doctor's note, but that information is still confidential & if it's being given directly to your employer, all your doctor has to say is that the surgery is required & scheduled. If it's going to an impartial third party, it's OK to give more info.

Good luck to you.

Andrea