To Athena

[Guest guest]

Hi Athena,

I know just how you feel. I live in San Diego and work for the city

of San Diego, in an office that handles employee medical benefits.

The first thing you need to do is notify your employer that reducing

your hours based on your medical condition is against the law. Your

employer is not allowed to alter your work hours in any way based on

a medical condition. Your employer is not even allowed to ask what

ailment you have. Don't tell your boss anything. You are not

required to give your employer any information other than that your

doctor has taken you off duty, or that your doctor is requesting that

the employer modify your work station to accomodate your work

restrictions, etc. Unless all employees are having their hours

reduced, it is discrimination based on medical knowledge that your

employer is not allowed to have or ask for. If you can work full

time, you should be allowed to work full time. If you can't, you

should be allowed to supplement with your earned vacation or sick

leave.

Next, file for FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act)immediately. I just

filed last week. That gives you 480 hours per year that you are

allowed to miss work for Lupus ailments without losing your job. You

don't get paid while on FMLA leave, but your boss can't fire you for

not showing up. Your employer is required by law to provide you with

the application for you and your Lupus doctor to fill out. It's

really simple, and Lupus is obviously covered. You can use FMLA time

to go to your doctor appointments. The only requirement is that if

you know you are going to be off or have a doctor appointment, you

should give your employer 30 days warning that you will be using FMLA

hours.

Check with your company's Long Term Disability officer and see what

amount of time you have to miss to receive LTD. LTD pays 70% of your

normal income if you are out for an extended period. If you qualify,

you would use your FMLA time for work, but be paid from the state LTD

fund.

Just because you have Lupus doesn't mean that your employer is

allowed to break the law.

>

> I everyone

>

> im a mess today! I got to go back to work today after being DX with

> lupus last week and being off for 3 weeks.. Im a full time cna ai

> work back office at a private practice..my Boss the Dr I work for

> cut my hrs down becuz i have lupus, she tells me im not dependable

> with this disease.. how am i suppose to live a normal life.. sure

i

> have some fatigue but its being helped with DHEA and bextra for my

> joint pain.. I want to be as normal as i can Im not at this point

> unable to do my full time job my Dr agrees.. where to i go from

> here.. I have a call to the Labor law thats a joke here in calif to

> get through to them or a answer, called a attny hoping maybe they

> can help.//

> Please help!!

>

> Athena