Serious Health Condition

For purposes of FMLA, "serious health condition" means an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves inpatient care or continuing treatment by a health care provider.

• Incapacity means the inability to work, attend school or perform other regular daily activities due to a serious health condition (or treatment for or recovery from a serious health condition).
• Treatment includes (but is not limited to) examinations to determine if a serious health condition exists and evaluations of the condition. It does not include routine physical, eye or dental examinations.
• Inpatient care means an overnight stay in a hospital, hospice or residential medical care facility, including any period of incapacity or any subsequent treatment in connection with such inpatient care.
• Continuing treatment by a health care provider includes several distinct definitions and can include conditions with short-term, chronic, long-term or permanent periods of incapacity.

Select the reason for leave:

• Inpatient care (overnight stay)
• Condition causing incapacity (short-term, chronic, long-term, or permanent)
• Treatments to prevent incapacity (restorative surgery, chemotherapy, etc.)
• Pregnancy

Return to Reasons for Leave.

For more information on this aspect of the FMLA, see the FMLA regulations: § 825.113, § 825.114, § 825.115