For ESA medical leave, if a medical certificate is not obtained, what happens?

• A. The employee would not be entitled to the leave and loses protections under the ESA
• B. The employee would still be entitled to the leave but loses protections
• C. The employee would be entitled to the leave and retains protections
• D. The employee would be entitled to the leave only with a medical certificate

Answer: (A)

When taking medical leave under the ESA, you need medical evidence to establish the illness and trigger the protections that come with the leave. If you don’t obtain a medical certificate, you’re not entitled to the medical leave and you don’t receive those protections. In practice, without the certificate, the absence isn’t recognized as authorized medical leave, and the employer could treat it as unauthorized absence, with no job-protection rights attached to it. The certificate is the evidence that enables both entitlement and protections, so lacking it means the leave isn’t granted under the ESA.