Amazon leave of absence: how it works
Plain answers about a leave of absence at Amazon, from Certicare, where a state-licensed provider completes the provider's part of medical leave forms after a real evaluation. Amazon's own rules are in A to Z and your DLS messages; this page shows you where, and what federal law adds.
What is a leave of absence at Amazon?
A leave of absence (LOA) is approved time away from your job. Whether the job is held for you depends on the kind of leave; section 5 covers the federal rules. Amazon's public PTO page says employees may be eligible for "paid and unpaid leaves of absence," and that Amazon's own policies win where that page and the policies differ.
"Leave of absence" is the umbrella. Under it sit FMLA leave, a medical leave through DLS, leave as a disability accommodation, short-term disability pay, and leave for a reason that isn't medical. More than one can apply at the same time. Which one fits you is the question the Amazon leave finder answers in a few clicks.
Under the leave-of-absence umbrella
- FMLA
- Medical leave through DLS
- Leave as an accommodation
- Short-term disability pay
- Non-medical leave
The rules that apply to you, including any time limits, are in A to Z and in the messages DLS (Disability and Leave Services) sends about your case. Those rules change, and the version in your case is the one that counts.
Medical leave or personal leave: which one is yours?
If the reason is your own health condition, or a pregnancy, the leave is medical. A medical leave needs a licensed provider's part on the form DLS lists, and that is the part Certicare completes. Caring for a spouse, son, daughter or parent with a serious health condition is an FMLA reason too; for a family member's forms, see family care leave forms.
A leave for a reason that isn't medical is a personal leave. Its rules are in A to Z, along with who approves it. Certicare doesn't complete paperwork for a non-medical leave. Bonding with a new child is its own FMLA reason; the maternity leave guide covers it.
Medical reason
A licensed provider completes the provider's part. Certicare does this.
Non-medical reason
Check A to Z for what you can request. Certicare doesn't complete this.
Two federal rules sit beside Amazon's own. FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) covers eligible employees for a serious health condition. If you don't qualify for FMLA, the ADA may still require the employer to consider unpaid leave as an accommodation: the EEOC says an employer "must consider providing unpaid leave" to an employee with a disability who needs it, even when the employee isn't eligible under the employer's policy or has used up the leave it offers.
FMLA eligibility has three tests: a worksite where your employer has 50 or more employees within 75 miles, 12 months of employment, and 1,250 hours of service in the preceding 12 months. That is a little over 24 hours actually worked per week, and PTO and leave time generally don't count toward it. Passing them is necessary, not sufficient. The reason must also qualify.
How do you request a leave of absence at Amazon?
- 1
Start the request in A to Z.
Request a leave of absence in A to Z (MyHR); DLS opens a case. To find it later, go to MyHR → My Requests → Open cases → your leave case.
- 2
Read what DLS lists.
DLS lists the forms it needs inside your case. Go by that list, not by a form name from somewhere else.
- 3
Get the provider's part completed.
For a medical leave, a licensed provider completes whichever form DLS lists. Certicare does this step.
- 4
Send it in.
Upload the completed form to your case, or ask us to send it to DLS.
- 5
Read every DLS message for the deadline.
The deadline is in your DLS message. Go by that date.
DLS decides the leave. HR and timekeeping own UPT, points and schedules, and an approved leave should flow through to attendance but may not do so automatically or immediately. The FMLA guide covers the DLS steps in more detail, and the UPT guide covers missed shifts while a decision is pending.
Already have a case? Tell us which form DLS listed, and we start there. No case yet? Start with step 1 above.
Start My IntakeIs an Amazon leave of absence paid?
It depends on the kind of leave. FMLA itself is unpaid leave, though accrued paid time off can be used during it, by your choice or your employer's requirement. Amazon's public page says it offers both paid and unpaid leaves of absence, and which one you have is in your case.
Pay during a medical leave can come from separate places, each with its own page here: your PTO balance, short-term disability, and, for a pregnancy, Amazon's paid pregnancy and parental leave. The pay figures for your case are in A to Z and your DLS messages.
Where pay can come from
Certicare is not affiliated with Amazon. Amazon makes the final decision on leave and accommodation requests. This page is general information about the leave process, not legal advice.
Thinking of quitting? What leave keeps that quitting doesn't.
If a health problem is behind the missed shifts, quitting and taking leave are not the same move. Quitting ends the job. An approved leave can keep a job to come back to, depending on which law covers it.
Quit vs. approved leave
| Quit | Approved leave | |
|---|---|---|
| A job to come back to | Quit: | Approved leave:with limits |
| Employer health coverage kept | Quit: | Approved leave:during FMLA leave |
| A federal return right | Quit: | Approved leave:where FMLA or the ADA applies |
Under FMLA, an eligible employee returning from FMLA leave is entitled to the same position, or an equivalent one with equivalent pay, benefits and other terms, "even if the employee has been replaced or his or her position has been restructured to accommodate the employee's absence." That right has a limit: an employee on FMLA leave has no greater right to the job than if they had kept working, so an employer can still act for reasons that have nothing to do with the leave.
Leave as an ADA accommodation carries a return right too. The EEOC says it "includes the right to return to the employee's original position," with alternatives the employer must consider if holding the job open would be an undue hardship.
Rehire rules and how to resign are Amazon's internal policies, in A to Z. If you were fired or marked a no-show while a leave was approved, read the guide for that situation first.
Who completes the provider's part of your Amazon leave?
If the provider already treating you will complete the form, that is the simplest route. Certicare is for when that is not available, or not in time. It is completed and signed by a state-licensed provider, after a real evaluation, on whichever form DLS lists in your case.
You answer a short online intake, usually no appointment to book. A provider may follow up for more detail before deciding. An evaluation does not guarantee a signature: the provider signs only what the evaluation supports.
Upload the completed form to your case yourself, or we can also send it directly to DLS if you ask us to.
$49 flat
$49 covers your full DLS case: clinical review, the supported forms it needs, and any DLS verification, clarification, or corrections — no additional charges. If we can't complete your request, for any reason, you're refunded in full.
Secure online intake. Your information is reviewed by Certicare and is not sent to Amazon without your authorization.
HIPAA-compliantWrite to hello@certicare.org with any question before you start.
