A sick leave certificate is an official document issued by any medical institution to an ill employee. A newsletter is the legal basis for the absence of an employee in his workplace, since no employer will tolerate absenteeism without a good reason. Therefore, citizens often have the question of how many days a sick leave is issued and how much they may not attend the workplace in this regard.
general information
Each newsletter has its own validity period or, in other words, the period during which a person may be absent from his workplace legally, without fear of dismissal or prosecution. Moreover, wage on sick leave is maintained.
The sick leave period is calculated in calendar days, includes holidays and weekends. The term of the action of the doctor is established by the doctor of the medical institution, based on the terms approved by 624n-P of the Ministry of Health.
Factors affecting sick leave
How many days a sick leave is issued depends on several factors:
- The severity of the patient's condition.
- Doctor's specialization.
- The presence of complications.
- Variety and type of disease.
If the doctor does not see the reasons for being on sick leave with a slight malaise or a frivolous disease, he will not open the bulletin.
Otherwise, each disease has its own rehabilitation period. In addition, the specialist assesses the course of the disease, which can be different and sometimes unpredictable.
Minimum terms
Not a single regulatory document defines the minimum period for how long one can sit on sick leave. Therefore, the doctor can single-handedly issue a bulletin, determining the rehabilitation period based on the well-being of the patient.
That is, the receiving doctor can write a document for 1 day, but this happens infrequently. In unofficial medical practice, the minimum period for how much sick leave is given is considered to be 3 calendar days, regardless of the conditions undergoing rehabilitation (hospital, day hospital, ambulatory).
Another issue is the maximum duration of such documents, which, according to the order, cannot exceed 15 days in an outpatient setting. In opposite cases, the term of the sick-list is extended by the medical commission.
These requirements are the same for all medical institutions, doctors of any specialization, except for dentists and paramedics: the maximum period of sick leave opened by such specialists is 10 days.
Outpatient rehabilitation suggests that the patient undergoes treatment outside of hospital facilities, that is, at home, periodically visiting a treating specialist in a clinic. However, situations can be different, as well as pathologies. Therefore, patients are often treated in day hospitals and hospitals. The situation in this case changes somewhat.
Usually, if a sick employee is registered for inpatient treatment, then this indicates that he has serious illnesses, injuries, conditions that require round-the-clock treatment and observation.
The maximum duration of how much you can sit on sick leave during inpatient treatment has not been established, since the doctor cannot accurately predict the course of therapy, the patient's condition, well-being, rehabilitation period. In such a case, the ballot is issued for the entire time the employee is in the hospital.
In addition, if surgical intervention is required, then the period of stay in the medical institution may become unpredictable. In other words, the period of being on sick leave depends on the type of disease, its severity, and the medical decision.
After the employee is discharged, he may need rehabilitation at home. Then, in accordance with the order, the sick-list can be extended by a maximum of 10 days.
Treatment in a day hospital does not imply the patient’s constant presence in a medical facility, but he has to undergo regular procedures, preventive measures to treat a particular injury or disease. In this case, the sick leave will be discharged for the duration of the patient’s therapy. But the specialist’s decision will be fundamental here, since the maximum period of the sick leave and, accordingly, the maximum period of treatment in a day hospital are also not regulated by law.
The sick-list will be opened on certain days (intermittent bulletin) if it is planned to carry out heavy diagnostic, preventive gynecological, urological, proctological procedures in an outpatient setting.
Duration of sick leave by disease
The duration of the sick leave may differ depending on the type of surgical intervention, disease, injury, as well as the patient's condition.
It is worth noting that information on how much you can sit on sick leave for various pathologies is indicated tentatively, the final decision and the period of disability are determined by the doctor, taking into account current legislation.
Duration of sick leave and disease:
- SARS - 5-15 days.
- Tonsillitis - 10-15 days.
- Injury (fracture of the extremities, spinal injury due to an accident). The rehabilitation period until complete recovery depends on the type of injury, the presence or absence of complications, displacements. With fractures of the extremities - 30-60 days, with injuries of the spine (taking into account the fracture department, the presence of displacement) - 60-240 days or more.
- Concussion of the head - 20-28 days.
- Oncological diseases. Depends on the stage of development - 120-180 days.
- Tuberculosis. It depends on the type and form of this pathology. With infiltrative tuberculosis with foci of small and medium size - 120-180 days, in other cases - 240-300 days.
- Chickenpox - 10-21 days.
- Appendectomy. Depends on the type of appendicitis (phlegm, catarrhal, purulent) - 16-21 days.
- Removal of the uterus - 65-100 days.
- Removal of the gallbladder - 48-55 days (in hospital) + 10 days (at home).
- Removal of a cyst - 20-28 days.
- Tooth extraction - 3-10 days.
- Tooth extraction using general anesthesia - 3-10 days.
How many days a patient can spend on a sick leave after surgery depends on the complexity of the operation and the length of the rehabilitation period after each of them. In accordance with applicable laws, diagnoses and diseases are not explicitly indicated on the newsletter forms; instead of this information, they put a special digital code that corresponds to the diagnosis. For example, 01 - absence due to a certain pathology, 02 - trauma, 03 - quarantine. In addition, in the hospital put an additional diagnosis code for the ICD.
It is worth noting that the period of how much you can sit on sick leave with a child also depends on the type of disease. In this case, it is a child’s disease.
Maximum sick leave
As already noted, the outpatient bulletin can be open for 15 days. If there is a need for its extension, a special commission of doctors should be created to determine the possibility of increasing the duration of treatment.
The medical commission may extend the sheet of temporary disability for a period of maximum 10 months. In some situations (with severe pathologies and injuries), the patient’s stay on sick leave can be increased to 12 months. This is maximum.
Survey every 15 days
But an employee who is ill for a long time and is on sick leave must undergo a survey every 15 days, at which doctors will evaluate his ability to work, the course of therapy, rehabilitation and make a decision on closing or extending the sheet of temporary disability. After the employee recovers, he is issued a standard sick leave, which indicates the period of his absence from the workplace.
Direction to ITU
If the treatment is delayed for more than 1 year, the disease is severe or there is a persistent loss of functionality of the organs and limbs, then the members of the medical commission refer the employee to a medical and social examination, which, as a rule, establishes disability. In cases where the patient refuses to pass it, the ballot will be closed and he will have to return to the workplace.
How many times a year you can go on sick leave
The legislation does not provide for quantitative restrictions on the opening of temporary disability sheets and information on how long you can be on the sick leave, since the employee’s health does not depend on any circumstances. The employee has the right to open sick leave continuously as many times as necessary, even immediately after he recovered and went to work.
Another question will be the attitude of the employer to this and his tolerance for a permanent absence from work.
It is interesting to many how much you can sit on sick leave, while receiving appropriate payments. If we talk about payments on sick leave from the employer and the Social Insurance Fund, then they will be made throughout the entire period of the employee’s illness until disability is assigned. In this case, it does not matter how many people are ill, how many times he opens the newsletter.
Payment during the year
There is no statutory maximum deadline for paying temporary disability benefits, but usually the employer continues to pay his employee for a year. Then it is assumed the passage of ITU and the possibility of disability.
It is worth noting that full payments on sick leave will be made only if the employee is ill and injured. In other situations, the employer will take into account all the nuances of temporary disability in accordance with regulatory enactments. Calculation of the sum of payments on sick leave is carried out by the accounting department.
Diagnosis code where payments can be reduced
The important thing is that there is a certain nuance due to which benefits can be reduced. This happens when the diagnosis code in the bulletin is 21. This means that the incapacity for work was due to drug or alcohol intoxication.
Often there are situations when an employee, being ill, simply asks for help from the employer, without going to the doctor. Such situations are not regulated by law, so the maximum period of illness without a sheet of temporary disability depends solely on the loyalty of the employee’s leadership.