Amazon DLS Forms Explained: What Each Form Is For
If Amazon Disability & Leave Services, also called DLS, asked you for paperwork, the process can feel confusing fast. A lot of employees think there is just one Amazon DLS form. That is not true. Different forms are used for different situations, including your own health condition, behavioral health leave, workplace accommodations, return-to-work restrictions, and leave to care for a family member.
We reviewed the main public copies of Amazon DLS paperwork and built this guide to explain the forms in plain language. The goal is simple: help you understand what DLS may be asking for, what each form is usually used for, and what healthcare providers are often expected to include.
Need healthcare provider paperwork completed?
If your employer asked for leave paperwork or a workplace accommodation form, we may be able to help. Our licensed providers review requests online and complete forms or letters if medically appropriate.
What is Amazon DLS?
Amazon DLS stands for Disability & Leave Services. It is the part of Amazon that handles many medical leave, disability, accommodation, and return-to-work requests. That is why employees often hear “DLS” used in very different situations, even though the paperwork is not all the same.
In practice, DLS may be involved when you need:
- medical leave for your own condition
- behavioral health leave
- short-term disability paperwork
- workplace accommodations
- return-to-work restrictions
- leave to care for a family member
Start with the reason you need paperwork. That usually points to the right form category.
I am out of work because of my own medical condition
Usually points toward an Own Health Condition form or a Short-Term Disability Physician Statement, depending on whether disability pay is part of the request.
My mental health symptoms are affecting my ability to work
Often points toward the Behavioral Health Physician Statement, which focuses on functional impairment and expected return-to-work timing.
I can work, but I need restrictions or changes at work
Usually points toward the Healthcare Provider Request for Information, also called the RFI accommodation form.
I may be able to return, but only with limits
Often points toward the Return to Work Planning Form, which asks for specific job restrictions, not vague phrases.
I need leave to care for a family member
Usually points toward the Care for a Family Member form, which is separate from paperwork for your own condition.
DLS wants to contact my provider directly
This may involve the optional ROI, or release of information, form so DLS can request clarification if needed.
1) Physician Statement | Short-Term Disability (STD) Benefits
This form is used when an employee is applying for short-term disability pay for their own illness or injury. It is not just a general leave form. It is the form most closely tied to disability benefits.
This type of form usually asks for the main diagnosis, ICD-10 code, onset date, whether the condition may be work related, whether leave is continuous or intermittent, how often absences may happen, why the employee cannot perform the job, treatment details, and provider certification.
In plain language, this is the form for: “I am medically unable to work right now, and I may also be asking for disability pay.”
2) Behavioral Health Physician Statement
This form is specifically geared toward mental health situations. It usually asks for the diagnosis, treatment information, whether the patient is totally impaired from working, when that impairment began, the expected return-to-work date, and a more detailed clinical and functional assessment.
That functional section is important. DLS is usually not just asking what the diagnosis is. DLS wants to know how the condition is affecting work, such as concentration, emotional regulation, thought process, multitasking, judgment, or ability to safely perform the job.
In plain language, this is the form for: “My mental health symptoms are affecting my ability to work, and DLS wants specific clinical details.”
3) Health Care Provider Form - Own Health Condition
This is a more standard medical certification form for the employee’s own serious health condition. It is generally used to support leave for your own health issue when DLS needs medical facts, leave timing, and provider certification.
It may be used when the case is more about leave protection and medical certification, rather than a dedicated behavioral health packet or a return-to-work restriction request.
In plain language, this is the form for: “I need leave for my own medical condition.”
4) Health Care Provider Form - Care for a Family Member
This is a separate form for when the employee needs leave to care for a family member. The key difference is that the employee is not the patient in this situation.
This form usually asks how the family member needs the employee’s care or support, whether the leave should be continuous or intermittent, and how often time away from work may be needed.
In plain language, this is the form for: “My family member is the patient, and I need time off to care for them.”
5) Healthcare Provider Request for Information (RFI)
This is one of Amazon’s main accommodation forms. It is usually used when the employee may be able to keep working, but needs changes, restrictions, or support to do the job safely.
The RFI often asks what major life activities are affected, what specific job-related limits exist, how those limits affect the employee’s duties, how long the restrictions are expected to last, and what accommodations the provider recommends.
That can include things like reduced standing, lifting limits, extra breaks, schedule changes, shift flexibility, intermittent absences, environmental changes, or other work modifications.
In plain language, this is the form for: “I may be able to work, but I need changes at work.”
6) Return to Work (RTW) Planning Form
This form is often used when the employee may be able to return to work with restrictions. It is usually more detailed than a simple note.
Instead of broad phrases like “light duty” or “avoid heavy lifting,” the RTW form may ask the provider to get specific about job tasks, time limits, weight limits, standing, walking, repetitive motion, stairs, equipment, breaks, modified schedule, or other functional restrictions.
In plain language, this is the form for: “I might be able to go back, but only if my work limits are clearly spelled out.”
7) Authorization to Obtain and Disclose Information (ROI)
This is the optional release of information form. It gives DLS permission to contact the provider directly if clarification is needed.
It is not the same thing as a leave form or accommodation form. It is mainly about communication.
In plain language, this is the form for: “You have permission to contact my provider if you need more information.”
Here is the simplest way to tell the most common Amazon DLS form categories apart.
STD Physician Statement
Behavioral Health Physician Statement
Accommodation RFI
Return to Work Planning Form
Need help with the right type of paperwork?
If your request involves medical leave, we may be able to help with provider-completed leave paperwork. If your request is about work restrictions, schedule changes, or other job modifications, our accommodation service may be the better fit.
Do providers have to use Amazon’s exact form?
Not always. In many situations, the real issue is not whether the paperwork looks “official enough.” The real issue is whether it is clear, complete, relevant, and specific enough for DLS to review.
That is why rushed notes, vague restrictions, missing dates, and incomplete answers can cause problems even when a provider did document a real medical issue.
These are the issues that most often turn a real medical situation into a longer, more frustrating paperwork problem.
Using the wrong form
A family-care form, accommodation form, and behavioral health form are not interchangeable.
Vague restrictions
Phrases like “light duty” or “avoid heavy lifting” may not tell DLS enough to act on.
No clear dates
Missing start dates, end dates, or expected return dates can slow the review down.
No functional impact
DLS often needs to know how the condition affects work, not just what the diagnosis is.
Incomplete intermittent details
If time off may happen in episodes, DLS usually wants frequency and duration estimates.
Missing provider details
Signature, credentials, date, and contact information all matter more than people think.
What happens after the form is submitted?
The exact next step depends on the kind of case. In general, DLS reviews the documentation, decides whether more information is needed, and then either moves the case forward or asks for clarification.
That is why it helps when the paperwork is matched to the actual problem from the beginning.
A simple way to think about the process from request to decision.
Case opens
You open a leave, disability, or accommodation request and DLS tells you what paperwork is needed.
Provider completes the form
Your healthcare provider fills out the right form or provides a detailed supporting letter when appropriate.
DLS reviews the documentation
DLS checks whether the paperwork is complete, specific, and matched to the request.
Decision or follow-up
DLS either moves the case forward or asks for clarification, changes, or additional information.
Final thoughts
Amazon DLS paperwork feels complicated because it is not one form. It is a group of different forms used for different situations. Once you understand the main categories, the process gets much easier to follow.
The best starting question is usually not, “What diagnosis do I have?” It is, “What kind of work situation am I dealing with, and what does DLS need to understand about it?”
Need a form or letter completed by a licensed provider?
We may be able to help with medical leave forms, workplace accommodation forms, and related employer paperwork when clinically appropriate.
Frequently asked questions
Is there just one Amazon DLS form?
No. Different forms may be used for your own health condition, behavioral health, accommodations, return-to-work restrictions, disability pay, or care for a family member.
What if I need changes at work, not time off?
That usually points more toward accommodation paperwork, such as an RFI form, rather than a leave-only form.
What if my provider wrote a note instead of using Amazon’s form?
That may still work if the documentation is detailed enough, clear enough, and addresses the issue DLS is actually reviewing.
Why does Amazon ask for more information sometimes?
That often happens when the paperwork is incomplete, too vague, missing dates, or does not clearly explain the functional impact of the condition.
Can you help with both medical leave and accommodation paperwork?
We may be able to help with both, depending on your situation and whether the request is medically appropriate after provider review.
