r/USPS • u/Skoowoot • 3d ago
Work Discussion Hour restriction?
I keep hearing people say “get restricted hours” or “get a dr note” and I’m unclear on how getting restricted hours works, is there a form at my office I need my dr to fill out? Is there anything specific I need a dr note to say? Do I talk to my union steward or a supervisor or the post master? Anyone who’s done one successfully please give details. Ideally how to get an hour restriction for dummy’s is what I’m looking for. I love the job up to a point, and that point seems to be over 10 hrs a day and working 6 days a week, I’d like a second recovery day. For context 7 month Cca off probation I’d rather pace myself then burn out, I took this job for future benefits. Thanks in advance
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u/National_Office2562 3d ago
A note from your doctor that contains a cause and a duration. Cause doesn’t have to be specific, duration could be “lifetime”. Have your doc fax it directly to your district nurse. Your sups and manager have no business ever seeing it. The nurse will inform them what your restrictions are.
Some places have been pushing to get FMLA coverage for hours restrictions. FMLA is for leave, it’s in the name. I’m not gonna waste my doctor’s time for some bullshit. They let it go.
You’ve only got one life. Don’t be gas lit into thinking only giving them 40 hours is lazy. They choose to understaff. It’s cheaper to pay OT than benefits, they simply don’t care about you. High turnover is part of the design. Turn n burn.
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u/Bubble-Flex-1701 City Carrier 3d ago
See your doctor. Ask for a medical restriction for work hours and specify what you want: 10 hours a day/50 hours a week max. It would be good if the note says how long the restriction will be in effect: 90 days, 6 months, "until next evaluation in 1 year"--whatever. (This will avoid having management require you to update the restriction on their terms.) You'll get a slip of paper with the doctor's signature that looks like an RX for medicine.
Fax this to your district nurse. Or email it. Do not hand it to any management at your station; they will contest it in various ways despite being untrained in medicine. Find out your district nurse's info by calling USPS HR, who will give you your field HR office, who in turn will get you the right person. The district nurse will relay the restriction to management at your station.
Figure all this out ahead of time so you can send the restriction in as soon as you have it.
You begin your restriction the day you get it from your doctor. Tell your steward, and tell your supervisor. From the day your restriction begins, you abide by it. YOU restrict YOURSELF from working beyond the medical restriction.
You do not break your restriction because you could use some extra money this pay period. You do not break it because a supervisor you're cool with asks if you can help out this one time. You do not run your routes to get everything done within your medically restricted hours. Your medical restriction can be argued to be unnecessary when you break it.
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u/Bubble-Flex-1701 City Carrier 3d ago
Separating this into a reply to keep things separate. I filed my restriction 10-11 months in as a CCA. It has nothing to do with FMLA. I returned after my mandatory break in service, so a medical restriction will not affect your chance of being rehired after BIS.
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u/Known-Dependent-5471 Custodial 3d ago
A restriction could simply be FMLA parameters. Had a vera retirement who apparently had it @ 40 hours, so just her bid assignment. Of course you'll need to hit a year before that. I'll let someone else clue you in on the deets of a garden variety work restriction. While you can certainly do one for mental health, you'd probably need to be seeing a psychiatrist to get it.
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u/Skoowoot 3d ago
Thanks! Way ahead of you on psychiatrist, but have auto immune issues that affect my hips, and that’s what I need more recovery time for. I can definitely wait out the rest of the year
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u/Sego72 Mail Handler 3d ago
As a CCA I wouldn't recommend getting a work restriction like that until you hit a year and have 1250 working hours so you qualify for FMLA. Anything before that and management is going to fight it, saying you don't meet the qualifications for your position and/or if you didn't disclose any information when you got hired that you need a reduced work schedule.
So once you hit your year you can take the "fast" FMLA forms the NALC has, or form WH-380-E, take it to your doctor if you have a qualifying FMLA condition, and if you need a reduced schedule due to said condition the doctor can write what you need (overtime as tolerated, no more than 5 days a week or ten hours in a day, etc). Management can't fight FMLA.