Walmart attendance points and the leave of absence, explained
Plain answers about points, PPTO, and a Sedgwick leave — from Certicare, where a state-licensed provider completes and signs the forms Sedgwick asks for after a real evaluation.
Start My IntakeAnswer a few questions online. A state-licensed provider completes and signs the Sedgwick forms from there.
How do Walmart attendance points and occurrences work?
Walmart tracks attendance as points, also called occurrences. When you miss all or part of a shift and nothing covers it, points get added to your record. They sit on a rolling window, so older points drop off over time as you keep working.
Not every absence lands the same way, and some can be protected. That's where PPTO (Protected PTO) and an approved leave come in, both covered below.
Who is Sedgwick, and what is mySedgwick?
Sedgwick is a separate company, not a Walmart department. Walmart hires Sedgwick to run its leaves of absence, so when you request a medical leave, you're working with Sedgwick, not your store. You reach them through mySedgwick, the online portal, at www.mySedgwick.com/Walmart.
Sedgwick's job is to take in your leave request, collect your medical documentation, coordinate any disability benefits, and confirm your return-to-work date.
PPTO vs. a leave of absence — what's the difference?
PPTO and a leave of absence solve different problems. PPTO is immediate and self-serve: you use it yourself, one absence at a time, and it pays you while protecting that occurrence. It works well for a day here or there.
A leave of absence (LOA) is bigger. It's a case you open through Sedgwick, and once it's approved, it covers a block of days tied to a health condition — not just one shift. That's the tool for a surgery, a serious illness, a pregnancy, or caring for a family member.
A leave doesn't have to be one solid block. Intermittent leave covers a condition that flares: some shifts you work, some you can't.
They can also work together. If you have it, PPTO can help cover early absences while a leave case is still being reviewed. But for anything that keeps you out more than a day or two, an approved leave is what protects the stretch of time.
How does Certicare help with the Sedgwick paperwork?
The forms are where leaves stall. A provider has to complete them correctly, and plenty of urgent care clinics and telehealth apps won't fill out employer or leave paperwork at all. That gap is what Certicare was built for.
You answer a short questionnaire online, with no appointment and no video visit. A state-licensed provider reviews your answers, then completes and signs the forms Sedgwick sent — the Certification form, ROI, RTW, an APS, or the Family certification form, depending on your leave. The finished forms come back by email, and we can send them straight to Sedgwick if you ask.
The fee is $49 flat, shown before you start, and it pays for the evaluation — a state-licensed provider reviews your answers and completes the certification Sedgwick needs. If Sedgwick asks for more information or a fix on what you sent, that's included. If the form can't be completed, or you change your mind before delivery, you can request a full refund.
Turnaround is usually within 24 hours after we have what we need: your answers and the forms Sedgwick sent. If it's the middle of the night, start anyway — the questionnaire is online now, and the form arrives by email.
Walmart and Sedgwick still make the decision, and no honest service promises the answer. What Certicare takes off your plate is the paperwork itself, completed and signed so a missing or late form isn't what stalls your leave. You can reach us at hello@certicare.org, usually the same day.
Secure online intake. Your information is reviewed by Certicare and is not sent to Walmart or Sedgwick without your authorization.
Your $49 pays for one evaluation and the certification it produces. A return-to-work form, a recertification, or an update if your leave changes is a separate $49 evaluation. You can request a full refund any time before your form is delivered.
Certicare is not affiliated with Walmart. Walmart makes the final decision on leave and accommodation requests. This page is general information about the leave process, not legal advice.
How many points before termination at Walmart?
Walmart sets the number of points that leads to termination in its attendance policy. That number isn't reliably public. Different stores and websites report different figures, and they don't all agree.
The one that counts is in your own policy. Open the current attendance policy on One.Walmart and read what applies to your store. A number from another website can be outdated or wrong, so go to the source that applies to you.
What does PPTO actually protect you from?
PPTO is how Walmart pays you for sick time, and it can keep an absence from turning into a point. The protection isn't automatic, though. You have to use enough PPTO to cover the absence under the Attendance Policy, and only the part you cover is protected.
If you don't have enough PPTO, regular PTO can still pay you for the time. But regular PTO gives no attendance protection — it fills the gap in your paycheck, not the one on your record.
One thing PPTO doesn't cover is a No Call/No Show. Using PPTO protects the absence itself, not the penalty for not calling in. You earn PPTO from your date of hire based on hours worked, and the rate depends on your classification.
How do you request a Walmart leave of absence?
You start the leave yourself, before any paperwork gets filled out. Open a claim at www.mySedgwick.com/Walmart, or call Sedgwick at 800-492-5678.
Have a few things ready. Sedgwick will ask for your Walmart Identification Number (WIN), your work schedule for about the next three weeks, your last day worked, the date you expect to return, and contact details for your healthcare provider.
Opening the claim is step one, not the whole thing. After this, Sedgwick sends the medical paperwork that a provider has to complete — the part Sedgwick needs before it can decide your leave.
What happens after you open a Sedgwick case?
When you submit the claim, Sedgwick gives you a claim number. It can take up to 24 hours for the claim to show up in mySedgwick, so don't worry if it isn't there right away.
Next, Sedgwick sends an initial packet with the forms your provider needs to complete. Which forms you get depends on the type of leave:
- A medical leave for your own condition usually needs the Certification form, a Release of Information (ROI) form, and a Return to Work (RTW) form.
- Short-term disability usually needs a Medical APS (Attending Physician Statement), or a BH-APS for behavioral health, plus the ROI and RTW forms.
- A leave to care for a family member usually needs the Family certification form and an ROI form.
Then Sedgwick decides, based on what those forms say. The most common reason leaves get denied isn't the medical reason. It's forms that arrive missing information, or arrive late.
FMLA can also come into play. If you qualify for FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act), it can run at the same time as your Walmart leave — the two aren't either/or, and Sedgwick can handle both together. Using the form Sedgwick sends is usually the clearest way to answer every item it asks for and cut down on follow-up.
How long does Sedgwick take, and what paperwork does it need?
Sedgwick gives you a due date for your medical paperwork. The general rule from Walmart's own guide: 20 days from when your initial packet is sent, or 20 days from your first day out, whichever is later. Your exact date is in your packet, so go by that, not a number from a forum.
Returning to work has its own step. Plan to send your Return to Work form at least three days before the day you come back. If you message a claim specialist through the Communication Center in mySedgwick, they generally reply by the end of the next business day.
If you need to reach Sedgwick directly:
- Portal: www.mySedgwick.com/Walmart
- Claim line: 800-492-5678
- Email: WalmartForms@Sedgwicksir.com
- Fax: 859-264-4372
- mySedgwick tech support: 866-647-7610
Founded by someone who's been there
Rebecca Martel, APRN, FNP-BC, is a family nurse practitioner who has completed hundreds of these forms. As a neurodivergent person who lost jobs to cyclical burnout early in her career, she knows what's at stake when paperwork stalls.
You don't need to know which form Sedgwick wants. Start your intake and we'll take it from there.
Start My IntakeCerticare is not affiliated with Walmart. Walmart makes the final decision on leave and accommodation requests. This page is general information about the leave process, not legal advice.