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Simple English definitions for legal terms
serious health condition
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A quick definition of serious health condition:
A serious health condition is when someone is very sick or hurt and needs to stay in the hospital, can't work for more than three days, or needs ongoing treatment from a doctor. It can also include being pregnant or having a long-term illness that makes it hard to do everyday things. If someone needs to take care of a family member with a serious health condition, they may be able to take time off work under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
A more thorough explanation:
Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), a serious health condition is an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that:
- Requires inpatient care
- Causes incapacity for more than three full days with continuing treatment by a health care provider
- Causes incapacity due to pregnancy or prenatal care
- Requires incapacity due to, or treatment for, a chronic serious health condition
- Causes permanent or long-term incapacity for a condition for which treatment may not be effective, such as a terminal illness
- Requires absence for multiple treatments for either restorative surgery following an injury or accident, or a condition that would require an absence of more than three days if not treated
For example, a serious health condition could be:
- A heart attack that requires hospitalization
- A broken leg that requires ongoing treatment and causes incapacity for more than three days
- A complicated pregnancy that causes incapacity
- Cancer that requires ongoing treatment and causes incapacity
- A terminal illness that causes permanent incapacity
- Multiple surgeries for a serious injury or condition
These examples illustrate how a serious health condition can be a wide range of medical issues that require significant treatment and/or cause incapacity for an extended period of time.