Employer sick-note rules

Does Sam's Club accept an online doctor’s note?

Sam's Club hourly associates use Walmart's Protected PTO system. Covering a sick absence with enough Protected PTO, entered within 7 days, is what removes the attendance occurrence. No Walmart or Sam's Club document we found says a doctor's note removes an occurrence.

What Sam's Club workers are told

Note needed?

No public Walmart or Sam's Club document sets a doctor's-note rule for ordinary sick days.

The protection is Protected PTO: submit the time off as PTO-Sick or PTO-Family Care within 7 days of the absence.

How absences count

Occurrence system shared with Walmart stores and Supply Chain.

Walmart's training deck says Protected PTO excuses a full occurrence when it covers the missed shift down to 9 minutes or less, and a half occurrence when it covers half the shift or more. Regular PTO does not excuse occurrences. Point thresholds are not published.

Where to send it

Tell your manager, then request the time in the Global Time and Attendance (GTA) system within 7 days of the absence, with the reason set to PTO-Sick or PTO-Family Care.

Sick pay

Two banks: regular PTO and Protected PTO. Accrual rates vary by location and local law.

Verified against the company’s own published policy · 2026-10-12

Get a doctor’s note · $29.99A licensed physician reviews your case online, same day. Your HR can verify it at sickslip.co/verify.

Sources

Paid Sick Leave Dallas: Walmart, Sams & Supply Chain (Walmart, 2019) · company document
What it says
“GTA will automatically approve attendance occurrences when enough Protected PTO is used!”
“within 7 days of the absence”
“Regular PTO, Personal or Sick time is not protected time”
Protected PTO FAQs for Associates (Walmart, 2024) · company document
What it says
“You have seven days from the date of an absence to enter PPTO”

The rules that sit above Sam's Club’s policy

Federal leave law lets an employer ask for medical certification and gives you at least 15 days to return it; disability law limits medical inquiries to what the job requires; twenty states and D.C. limit when any employer, Sam's Club included, may demand a note; and federal guidance treats a licensed physician’s online evaluation as telehealth. The statutes and sources are on the state-by-state doctor’s note law index and in are online doctor’s notes legal?

Other retail employers

Walmart · Target · Lowe's · Costco · Kroger · Best Buy · H-E-B · Whole Foods Market · AutoZone · PetSmart · TJX

Every employer’s sick-note rule, in one list

SickSlip is not affiliated with Sam's Club. Employer names are used to describe their published policies. Reviewed by Adam Z. Kawalek, MD (NPI 1326223306). Facts checked 2026-10-12.

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