Employer sick-note rules · healthcare
Does Kaiser Permanente accept an online doctor’s note?
Kaiser's regional attendance standards are negotiated with the unions and track occurrences. The standard does not make a note excuse an occurrence. Protected leaves (FMLA, CFRA, CESLA) are referred to HR case managers; the standard sets no documentation rule.
What Kaiser Permanente workers are told
Absences tracked
Southern California Attendance Program Standard (Labor Management Partnership, July 2018) for Alliance and Coalition union employees on traditional sick leave: occurrences of absence and tardiness are tracked; 'outstanding attendance' is 4 or fewer occurrences a year; patterns (day before/after days off or holidays, calling in on a denied day off, using more than the monthly last-minute sick accrual) trigger an exploratory conversation, then possible corrective action.
Note required
The standard never mentions doctor's notes, so a note does not remove an occurrence under it. Managers are told to refer protected leaves (FMLA, CESLA, CFRA) to HR case managers; the standard sets no documentation rule.
Where to submit
Leave and protected-time questions go to your manager, union representative, the National HR Service Center or a Benefits Operations Consultant; long-term leaves run through Integrated Disability Management (SCAL standard, 2018).
Paid sick time
Traditional sick leave accrual or Earned Time Off (ETO) depending on contract.
Online notes
Kaiser issues work or school notes to its members through an E-visit on kp.org: up to 3 days of absence, one request every 8 weeks, at the clinician's discretion and never for past dates. This is a member service, not an employee attendance rule.
From published reporting on the policy · 2026-09-23
What a SickSlip note shows Kaiser Permanente HR
The physician’s name and NPI number, the dates you are excused, a document ID, and a verification link HR can open without calling anyone. It does not include your diagnosis. Whether Kaiser Permanente accepts it depends on the rule above, not on where the physician saw you: no US state law limits a sick note to in-person visits, and the federal telehealth rules are on telehealth.hhs.gov.
Your state may limit what Kaiser Permanente can demand
Twenty states and the District of Columbia have a paid-sick-leave law, and most of them only let an employer ask for a note after three consecutive days. Company policy cannot override that. Check yours in the state-by-state doctor’s note law index.
Sources, read 2026-09-23
The rules that sit above Kaiser Permanente’s policy
- Federal leave (FMLA). An employer may require medical certification for a serious health condition, and must give you at least 15 calendar days to return it. 29 CFR 825.305 and U.S. Department of Labor Fact Sheet 28G.
- Disability (ADA). Points systems applied to disability-related absences have been challenged; medical inquiries must be job-related and consistent with business necessity. EEOC enforcement guidance.
- State paid-sick-leave law. Twenty states and D.C. limit when any employer, Kaiser Permanente included, may demand a note. Every state’s rule, with the statute.
- Telehealth. Federal guidance treats secure messaging with a licensed provider as telehealth; no state law limits a sick note to in-person visits. telehealth.hhs.gov.
Other healthcare employers
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SickSlip is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente. Employer names are used to describe their published policies. Reviewed by Adam Z. Kawalek, MD (NPI 1326223306). Facts checked 2026-09-23.