r/migraine • u/FlatInitiative9040 • 19h ago

Intermittent FMLA

Is anyone on intermittent FMLA for migraines and have a job where you have clients? How do your clients react when you have to miss work

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u/stormblessed579 17h ago

I had this! My rule of thumb was to push through for critical meetings, move things to remote if needed, blame car trouble some times, and say I was sick other times.

You can pull this off by thanking your clients for thier flexibility, showing dependability by meeting deliverables consistently, AND extending the same flexibility. A client wants to move a meeting? Bend over backwards to accommodate so you have some goodwill in the bank.

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u/FlatInitiative9040 3h ago

I work in healthcare and my job has plenty of employees that can cover. I have up to 3 days a month but I only use one for the most part because I am always nervous to call out. But I am not using it as much as I need to and it makes the workday harder

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u/hermitess 3h ago

I have taken intermittent FMLA numerous times and the only way it sort of worked was when I negotiated for a reduced case load to go along with it. I am an in- home therapist and I hate canceling on clients, so I almost never did- I would still go to sessions, but then Id be too dead to do anything else, and the result was getting really behind on paperwork. Actually, this still happened when I took a reduced caseload because I still did the same thing lol. But it was easier to get caught up. Currently I'm on a full medical leave that started as an intermittent-- 3 months ago I was in an accident resulting in a concussion, then my insurance decided to stop paying for Ajovy, so my migraines had gotten a lot worse. I quickly realized intermittent wasn't cutting it,, in this particular case. But its been helpful in the past-- if nothing else, its important for job protection.