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Absence from Work: Personal Illness / Medical Leave

All contract teachers and LTO's have access to sick leave. 
Sick Leave entitlement is pro-rated for teachers who are not 1.0FTE contract.

Depending on the length of your leave, a note from a doctor may be required.

Sick Leave, Short Term Disability Leave, and Top Up Days

Personal Illness days:

A full-time 1.0 FTE teacher has access to 11 personal illness days paid at 100% of their pay. This can be broken down into 33 periods to be used when needed throughout the year. DO NOT use personal illness for prep/APA period, only for teaching periods. Anyone who has a part-time contract or an LTO has their personal illness days prorated to the length of their contract. For example, a 0.67 FTE teacher would have 7.33 personal illness days.

Note: In the event of the death of a close relative, our collective agreement does not have explicit days for Bereavement.  More information is on our other leaves page, but you can utilize your personal illness days.  Depending on the number of days absent, normal protocol and a doctors note may be required.

 

Short Term Disability (STD) days:

A full-time 1.0 FTE teacher has access to 120 short-term disability days paid at 90% of their pay. This can be broken down into 360 periods to be used when needed throughout the year. Once your personal illness days are used up, you automatically begin using STD days. DO NOT use short-term disability days for prep/APA period, only for teaching periods. Anyone who has a part-time contract or an LTO has their short-term disability days prorated to the length of their contract. For example, a 0.67 FTE teacher would have 80 short-term disability days.

 

Top-Up days:

If you do not use up all of your 11 personal illness days in the current year, any remaining days can be used the following year only, to top up the 90% pay received in short-term disability to 100% pay. Every top-up day will therefore be able to increase pay from 90% to 100% for 10 days. For example, if you have 7 personal illness remaining, the next year only there will be a top-up of 70 short-term disability days, and if you have 3.33 days remaining, the next year would top up 33 STD days.

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Medical Leave:

Do you require a note?

Members that are absent for 5 or fewer consecutive days:

  • will STAR out for those days.

  • While notifing your administator is not mandatory, it can be helpful so that:

    • your admin may be able to arrange a consistent supply teacher​

    • you admin is aware of the reason for absence and can inform the board should they request a medical note for you reaching the "5 days in one month threshold".

 

Members that are absent up to 19 consecutive days:

 

  • are required to provide their Principal with a Standard Medical Certificate (Sharepoint) supporting their inability to work for medical reasons.  There is no requirement for diagnosis/prognosis, only that you are under the care of a treating doctor.

  • alternatively, if necessary, members can provide a note from their treating doctor indicating that they were seen, assessed and deemed medically unable to work for the period of the absence. 

  • information is used by your Principal to verify your absence for personal illness reasons and will not be retained at the school/work location.

 

Members that are absent for 20 consecutive days or longer:

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  • ​are required a Functional Abilities Report (FAR) be completed by the physician who is treating the medical condition rendering you disabled from working.  

  • ​the FAR can be accessed by emailing disability.management@yrdsb.ca and stating in the email that you will be seeing your doctor in the coming days and are requesting the Functional Abilities Report.

  • please note that the Board will reimburse the cost of up to $25.00 associated with the completion of the FAR.   

Long Term Disability

The goal of the OSSTF Disability Management Program (DMP) in conjunction with the YRDSB is to assist members with advice towards taking time off work for themselves, for work related accommodations, and to support members in their return to work. 

 

Where a return to work is not possible, we can provide information in regard to sick leave, short-term disability (STD), E.I. sickness benefits, and Long Term Disability (LTD). 

Our current collective agreement allotment is as follows:

  • 11 personal illness days paid at 100%

  • 120 short-term disability (STD) days paid at 90%. When your 11 personal illness days are used up, you automatically roll over to your short-term disability days.

  • Top-up days - Unused personal illness days from the previous year, that can be used to top up your short-term disability days to 100% pay. One top-up day equates to 10 STD days being paid at 100%.

  • If your absence carries over from one school year to the next, there is NOT a refresh of your entire sick leave bank until you return to full-time. If you are working part-time the following year, there is a blend of your sick leave benefits.

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As part of our long-term disability (LTD) policy, the Board is required to notify OTIP (our LTD administrator) of your absence from work, and notify the OSSTF DEO after 15 consecutive working days missed.  

  • If you think there is any possibility of exhausting your 131 sick leave days (11 personal illness + 120 short term disability days) you should apply to Long Term Disability (LTD) within 3 months of your sick leave running out. You will get a package from the Board with the instruction on how to apply for LTD.

  • During your leave, you should expect a call for an offer of Early Intervention Services from a member of the Early Intervention Team at OTIP.   Should it be appropriate, OTIP will discuss with you your health situation and your doctor’s recommendations.   

  • Also available, as part of your LTD plan is LifeWorks, a confidential psychosocial assistance service that provides up to 12 hours of counselling per school year (Sept thru August) for you and your family (spouse and dependent children). 1-800-668-0193

  • Go to: otiptl.lifeworks.com Username: Lifeworks1 Password: @OTIPTL123

 

When you are feeling better and ready to return to work (RTW) a new Functional Abilities Report (FAR) must be completed by the specialist who is treating the medical condition rendering you disabled from working. Please note the following:

  • the FAR can be completed by anyone that is identified in our benefit plan that you can get reimbursement for such as any MD, physiotherapist, psychologist etc.

  • it is important that the FAR be provided at least 10 working days (2 weeks) prior to your return to work date.

  • before you are able to return to work the FAR will be reviewed by the Board Disability Case Manager to determine if a RTW meeting is required and if accommodations are required. If accommodations are required, your Case Manager will coordinate a RTW meeting to review your restrictions and to develop an individualized return to work plan with your principal, the OSSTF DEO and yourself.

  • restrictions impacting your ability to perform your duties are shared with your principal to develop the individualized RTW plan and to ensure that medically required supports are in place for you.  No medical information is shared with your principal.

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