Cal. Code Regs. tit. 2 § 11050

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 49, December 6, 2024

Section 11050 - Employee Requests for Reasonable Accommodation, Transfer or Pregnancy Disability Leave: Advance Notice; Medical Certification; Employer Response

The following rules apply to any request for reasonable accommodation, transfer, or disability leave because of pregnancy.

(a) Adequate Advance Notice

(1) Verbal or Written Notice. An employee shall provide timely oral or written notice sufficient to make the employer aware that the employee needs reasonable accommodation, transfer, or pregnancy disability leave, and, where practicable, the anticipated timing and duration of the reasonable accommodation, transfer or pregnancy disability leave.

(2) 30 Days Advance Notice. An employee must provide the employer at least 30 days advance notice before the start of reasonable accommodation, transfer, or pregnancy disability leave if the need for the reasonable accommodation, transfer, or leave is foreseeable. The employee shall consult with the employer and make a reasonable effort to schedule any planned appointment or medical treatment to minimize disruption to the employer's operations, subject to the health care provider's approval.

(3) When 30 Days Is Not Practicable. If 30 days advance notice is not practicable, because it is not known when reasonable accommodation, transfer, or leave will be required to begin, or because of a change in circumstances, a medical emergency, or other good cause, notice must be given as soon as practicable.

(4) Prohibition against Denial of Reasonable Accommodation, Transfer, or Leave in Emergency or Unforeseeable Circumstances. An employer shall not deny reasonable accommodation, transfer, or pregnancy disability leave, the need for which is an emergency or is otherwise unforeseeable, on the basis that the employee did not provide adequate advance notice of the need for the reasonable accommodation, transfer, or leave.

(5) Employer Response to Reasonable Accommodation, Transfer, or Pregnancy Disability Leave Request. The employer shall respond to the reasonable accommodation, transfer, or pregnancy disability leave request as soon as practicable, and, in any event no later than 10 calendar days after receiving the request. The employer shall attempt to respond to the leave request before the date the leave is due to begin. Once given, approval shall be deemed retroactive to the date of the first day of the leave.

(6) Consequences for Employee Who Fails to Give Employer Adequate Advance Notice of Need for Reasonable Accommodation or Transfer. If an employee fails to give timely advance notice when the need for reasonable accommodation or transfer is foreseeable, the employer may delay the reasonable accommodation or transfer until 30 days after the date the employee provides notice to the employer of the need for the reasonable accommodation or transfer. However, under no circumstances may the employer delay the granting of an employee's reasonable accommodation or transfer if to do so would endanger the employee's health, her pregnancy, or the health of her co-workers.

(7) Direct notice to the employer from the employee rather than from a third party regarding the employee's need for reasonable accommodation, transfer, or pregnancy disability leave is preferred, but not required. The content of any notice must meet the requirements of this section and the employer may require medical certification.

(b) Medical Certification. As a condition of granting reasonable accommodation, transfer, or pregnancy disability leave, the employer may require written medical certification. The employer must notify the employee of the need to provide medical certification; the deadline for providing certification; what constitutes sufficient medical certification; and the consequences for failing to provide medical certification.

(1) An employer must notify the employee of the medical certification requirement each time a certification is required and provide the employee with any employer-required medical certification form for the employee's health care provider to complete. An employer may use the form provided at section 11050(e), or may develop its own form. Notice to the employee of the need for medical certification may be oral if the employee is already out on pregnancy disability leave because the need for the leave was unforeseeable. The employer shall thereafter mail or send via electronic mail or by facsimile a copy of the medical certification form to the employee or to her health care provider, whomever the employee designates.

(2) When the leave is foreseeable and at least 30 days' notice has been provided, the employee shall provide the medical certification before the leave begins. When this is not practicable, the employee shall provide the requested certification to the employer within the time frame requested by the employer (which must be at least 15 calendar days after the employer's request), unless it is not practicable under the particular circumstances to do so despite the employee's diligent, good faith efforts.

(3) When the employer requires medical certification, the employer shall request that an employee furnish medical certification from a health care provider at the time the employee gives notice of the need for reasonable accommodation, transfer or leave or within two business days thereafter, or, in the case of unforeseen leave, within two business days after the leave commences. The employer may request certification at some later date if the employer later has reason to question the appropriateness of the reasonable accommodation, transfer, or leave or its duration.

(4) At the time the employer requests medical certification, the employer shall also advise the employee of the anticipated consequences of an employee's failure to provide adequate medical certification. The employer shall also advise the employee whenever the employer finds a medical certification inadequate or incomplete, and provide the employee a reasonable opportunity to cure any deficiency.

(5) If the employer's sick or medical leave plan imposes medical certification requirements that are less stringent than the medical certification requirements of these regulations, and the employee or employer elects to substitute sick, vacation, personal or family leave for unpaid pregnancy disability leave, only the employer's less stringent leave certification requirements may be imposed.

(6) The medical certification indicating the medical advisability of reasonable accommodation or a transfer is sufficient if it contains:

(A) A description of the requested reasonable accommodation or transfer;

(B) A statement describing the medical advisability of the reasonable accommodation or transfer because of pregnancy; and

(C) The date on which the need for reasonable accommodation or transfer became or will become medically advisable and the estimated duration of the reasonable accommodation or transfer.

(7) The medical certification indicating disability necessitating a leave is sufficient if it contains:

(A) A statement that the employee needs to take pregnancy disability leave because she is disabled by pregnancy, childbirth or a related medical condition;

(B) The date on which the employee became disabled because of pregnancy and the estimated duration of the leave.

(8) If the certification satisfies the requirements of section 11050(b), the employer must accept it as sufficient. The employer may not ask the employee to provide additional information beyond that allowed by these regulations. Upon expiration of the time period that the health care provider originally estimated the employee would need reasonable accommodation, transfer, or leave, the employer may require the employee to obtain recertification if additional time is requested.

(9) The employer is responsible for complying with all applicable law regarding the confidentiality of any medical information received.

(c) Failure to Provide Medical Certification

(1) In the case of a foreseeable need for reasonable accommodation, transfer, or pregnancy disability leave, an employer may delay granting the reasonable accommodation, transfer or leave to an employee who fails to provide timely certification after the employer has requested the employee to furnish such certification (i.e., within 15 calendar days, if practicable), until the required certification is provided.

(2) When the need for reasonable accommodation, transfer or leave is not foreseeable, or in the case of recertification, an employee shall provide certification (or recertification) within the time frame requested by the employer (which must be at least 15 days after the employer's request) or as soon as reasonably possible under the circumstances. In the case of a medical emergency, it may not be practicable for an employee to provide the required certification within 15 calendar days. If an employee fails to provide a medical certification within a reasonable time under the pertinent circumstances, the employer may delay the employee's continuation of the reasonable accommodation, transfer or pregnancy disability leave.

(d) Release to Return to Work. As a condition of an employee's return from pregnancy disability leave or transfer, the employer may require the employee to obtain a release to return-to-work from her health care provider stating that she is able to resume her original job or duties only if the employer has a uniformly applied practice or policy of requiring such releases from other similarly situated employees returning to work after a non-pregnancy related disability leave or transfer.

(e) Medical Certification Form. Employers requiring written medical certification from their employees who request a reasonable accommodation, transfer or disability leave because of pregnancy may develop their own form, utilize one provided by the employee's health care provider or use the form provided below.

CIVIL RIGHTS COUNCIL

CERTIFICATION OF HEALTH CARE PROVIDER FOR PREGNANCY DISABILITY LEAVE, TRANSFER AND/OR REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

	[]	Time off for medical appointments.
		Specify when and for what duration:
		______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
		________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
	[]	A disability leave. [Because of a patient's pregnancy, childbirth or a related medical condition, she cannot perform one or more of the essential functions of her job or cannot perform any of these functions without undue risk to herself, to her pregnancy's successful completion, or to other persons.]
		Beginning (Estimate): ________________________________________________________________________________________________
		Ending (Estimate): _________________________________________________________________________________________________
	[]	Intermittent leave. Specify medically advisable intermittent leave schedule:
		________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
		_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
		Beginning (Estimate): __________________________________________________________________________________________________
		Ending (Estimate): ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
	[]	Reduced work schedule. [Specify medically advisable reduced work schedule.]
		___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
		___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
		Beginning (Estimate):___________________________________________________________________________________________________
		Ending (Estimate): ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
	[]	Transfer to a less strenuous or hazardous position or to be assigned to less strenuous or hazardous duties [specify what would be a medically advisable position/duties].
		______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
		______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
		Beginning (Estimate): _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
		Ending (Estimate): _______________________________________________________________________________________________________
	[]	Reasonable accommodation(s). [Specify medically advisable needed accommodation(s). These could include, but are not limited to, modifying lifting requirements, or providing more frequent breaks, or providing a stool or chair.]
		____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
		_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
		Beginning (Estimate): ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
		Ending (Estimate): ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
		Name, license number and medical/health care specialty [printed] of health care provider.
		______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
		______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
		______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
		______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
	Signature of health care provider:
		_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
	Date:
		______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 2, § 11050

1. Change without regulatory effect renumbering former section 7291.17 to new section 11050 and amending section and NOTE filed 10-3-2013 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 2013, No. 40).
2. Amendment of subsections (a)(5) and (e) filed 12-9-2015; operative 4-1-2016 (Register 2015, No. 50).
3. Change without regulatory effect amending subsection (e) filed 3-20-2023 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 2023, No. 12).

Note: Authority cited: Section 12935(a), Government Code. Reference: Sections 12940 and 12945, Government Code; FMLA, 29 U.S.C. § 2601, et seq., and FMLA regulations, 29 C.F.R. § 825.

1. Change without regulatory effect renumbering former section 7291.17 to new section 11050 and amending section and NOTE filed 10-3-2013 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 2013, No. 40).
2. Amendment of subsections (a)(5) and (e) filed 12-9-2015; operative 4/1/2016 (Register 2015, No. 50).
3. Change without regulatory effect amending subsection (e) filed 3-20-2023 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 2023, No. 12).