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Committee keeps discretionary doctor's-note rule for suspected sick-leave abuse
Summary
The committee agreed to reserve the right to request medical documentation when there is probable cause of sick-leave abuse rather than require a doctor's note for every absence. Members cited patterns (post-holiday/Monday absences) as triggers for documentation.
Committee members discussed balancing employee privacy and preventing leave abuse. Agency official (Speaker 4) summarized a prior county approach: "We reserve the right to ask for a doctor's note in the case of sick leave," and suggested adopting a similar, case-specific standard rather than a universal requirement.
Members agreed to use patterns of suspicious absences (for example, repeated Mondays after weekends or post-holiday patterns) as legitimate grounds to request documentation, and to include examples in the handbook to support consistent enforcement. The committee asked staff to draft language that preserves managers' discretion and protects employees with legitimate, documented medical needs.
