Unscheduled Leave Policies

The date when a recovering employee is unlikely to improve further, based on medical evidence, or 104 weeks after income benefits start.

A qualified doctor hired by the City to review a recovering employee's medical status and recommend treatment for return to work.

A questionnaire sent to the treating physician to understand how the employee's medical condition affects their ability to work.

A process for removing an employee from their job due to medical reasons, without any disciplinary action.

Leave given to employees whose family members are on active military duty, allowing them to support their family.

A situation where an employee needs leave for a qualifying reason related to a military member's active duty. This includes caring for a dependent who is incapable of self-care due to the military member's deployment.

Documentation proving a military member's active duty status, including dates of service, provided by the military.

A designated individual within a company responsible for managing FMLA leave requests and ensuring compliance.

A formal notification to an employee indicating whether their leave will be considered FMLA-eligible based on the provided information.

The timeframe within which the FMLA Coordinator must issue a designation notice to an employee, barring extenuating circumstances.

The ability to classify a leave as FMLA leave retrospectively, provided certain conditions are met.

When an employee submits complete medical documentation, the FMLA Coordinator can't ask for more information from the health care provider.

The ability for the department and the employee to mutually agree on the retroactive classification of a leave as FMLA leave.

Refusal of this option may result in denial of workers' compensation and salary continuation benefits.

This leave allows employees to care for a family member's serious health condition or for their own serious health condition.

Employees on FMLS are not allowed to work outside their primary employment or engage in overtime work.

FMLS hours used by an employee can impact their personal leave eligibility.

Employees may receive up to three calendar days of paid leave for the death of an immediate family member. More time may be granted for extenuating circumstances.

The Fire Chief or designee may approve leave for the death of a relative other than an immediate family member.

The Fire Chief or designee may allow an employee to use accrued leave for a funeral of a co-worker, friend, or associate.

This leave allows employees to attend funerals and provides specific guidelines for approval.

An employee exceeding 30 consecutive calendar days of leave due to a non-occupational illness or injury is transferred to the Emergency Response Division.

A supervisor requests an employee to submit a Form 48 to verify a non-occupational injury absence, regardless of how close the employee is to using their sick leave.

If an employee doesn't submit a Form 48 when required, their paycheck might be permanently reduced.

After 90 days of non-occupational injury leave, the employee receives a medical questionnaire to be filled out by their doctor.

The supervisor completes a section on the Form 48 and provides a copy to the employee.

The supervisor places the original Form 48 in the employee's station file.

The supervisor emails or faxes the Form 48 to the Sick Leave Coordinator.

The supervisor documents the Form 48 submission in the employee's electronic Form 42.

Employees categorized as Tier II are those deemed essential for responding to emergencies and are subject to immediate deployment based on their supervisor's instructions.

Tier III employees are non-classified employees who are not part of the essential Tier II group. They may be released from work before an emergency but are subject to recall.

Tier III employees must follow evacuation orders issued by civil authorities. This means they must evacuate if directed to do so.

Tier III employees remain subject to recall even if they have evacuated the Houston area. They are required to return to work as instructed.

Once the city's Emergency Operations Center declares the emergency has subsided, all employees must report to their regular work assignments unless otherwise directed.

Employees may face disciplinary action, including indefinite suspension, if they fail to report to work or complete assigned duties without prior approval.

Employees must make every reasonable effort to report to work as soon as possible, even if they face difficult conditions.

Employees must notify their supervisor as soon as possible about their situation and make every attempt to arrive at their designated work location.

If an employee returns after being out for more than 30 days and hasn't taken a drug test yet, they must submit to one. No safety-sensitive job duties allowed until the test comes back negative.

Employees on injured leave or transitional duty must attend all scheduled doctor visits and follow their treatment plans completely. Failure to do so can lead to disciplinary action or loss of benefits.

Injured employees need to submit a specific form (DWC073) to the Risk Management Office within 5 days of every doctor visit, and then again every 30 days.

Employees on injured leave cannot work any outside jobs, apply for overtime, or take extra training courses without authorization.

When an injured employee is cleared to return to full duty, they should immediately contact their supervisor and the Risk Management Office.