Work Accommodations

I wake up in the morning with work, work, work, by Rihanna playing in my head, because that is all I do. I go to work, and am a mom most of the time. Let's talk about how the workspace is when it comes to getting accommodations with lupus. Those can be hard to come by, and everyone who does not have health issues to deal with might never understand.

Since I started working, I have been trying to get coverage for if I get sick. Most people call this FMLA. Since my job does not offer sick time, only PTO, it becomes hard to take off if you don't have enough PTO.

Getting approved for ADA

I reached my 6 month mark on the job, and I was approved for ADA - which is an intermittent leave. With it, if I get sick, then I won't be penalized. FMLA requires you to be on the job for a year before you get approved and my husband always tried but could never get it.

The process of getting ADA went to the company that my company has a contract with. I was approved in February and it only lasts until July. If I do get sick then I can take two sick days four times a month without being penalized. To get that approved, first I filled out a form to request for ADA or FMLA. Immediately they denied me for FMLA, but sent the paperwork for me to be able to get ADA.

Staying on top of approvals

I love that everything is now in digital form, so even before I got my approval in the mail I got it online. That same day I faxed it to my doctor and the turnaround for that was about a week or two. After that, my doctor faxed over the necessary documents.

Before, when I saw an approval it would be the end of March but it had been active since the middle of February - so remember to always check your email and stay on top of things.

After I had all these things filled out and sent over to my supervisor at work, he let me know that I was good to go if I ever get sick. I did get sick after that, and decided it was time to take a chance on it - and it worked. But I feel like that should be more for people with disabilities when it comes to FMLA.

Talking to supervisors

I used to honestly quit jobs that couldn't accommodate my lupus. Why? Because just as easy I got this job, I can easily be replaced in their eyes. And trust me I was. But this time I was able to find this work from home job and it was different. I remain the same, but I love my job as of right now. The most I deal with is customers cursing me out, not knowing that I have the same issues as them.

So talk to your supervisor about accommodations and what you are eligible for, and if they don't give a straight enough answer then talk to someone higher up than them. Never give up when it comes to health!