What Louisiana Law Says About Employers Requiring a Doctor’s Note

(KMDL-FM) As much as we like to gripe about our jobs, most of us don't mind the work we do here in Louisiana. We do have a large variety of employment opportunities available in the state.

There's oilfield work that might take you to places like Intracoastal City or Houma. There are banking and financial opportunities in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Lafayette. And there's a host of jobs in the hospitality industry in Lake Charles and Shreveport/Bossier City, too.

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Oddly enough, the second most popular reason for people to take a particular job these days is insurance coverage. A recent survey suggested that benefits such as insurance ranked almost as highly as annual compensation according to some job seekers.

None of us likes to be sick, and most of us don't like missing work because of illness, but even more frustrating to many employees is the return to work from illness. The leading cause of that frustration is "the note from your doctor". 

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Can A Louisiana Employer Legally Require a Doctor's Note to Return to Work?

For a lot of us, the reason we miss work because of illness is that we don't want to make our co-workers sick. Often, something as simple as a cold or mild case of the flu, at least in our minds, doesn't need the co-pay expense of seeing a doctor. The doctors can't "help us" other than symptom relief in those cases anyway, so why would we go?

And the answer to that question is "to get a note from the doctor". And the reason we need to get that note is that our employer requires it. But does Louisiana law require that we visit a doctor and bring an official note before we are allowed to return to work?

The answer to that question appears to be a resounding...maybe.

Louisiana law does not mandate that employers provide sick leave. However, the law does agree that if an employer does provide sick leave and the employee chooses to use it, then they are subject to the policy put in place by the employer.

In many cases, an employer will only want to see a note from a medical professional after an employee has had an extended absence or there appears to be a pattern of chronic absence due to "illness".  However, it should be stated that an employer is required to apply the policy consistently to all employees.

What Constitutes a Valid Doctor's Note for an Employee to Return to Work?

In order for a doctor's note to be valid, most employers require a reason for the absence, confirmation that the employee was under the doctor's care, and the official date that the employee is cleared to return to work. If there are conditions that limit an employee's ability to do their job, that should be noted as well.

So, the TL/DR answer to the question is yes, your employer can require a note from your doctor if you miss work. However, that policy must be applied consistently to all employees.