The doctor is liable for the correctness of the issued incapacity for work certificates (AU). In order to receive an sickness leave, there must necessarily be an illness. Sickness leave may only be issued after personal contact. As a rule, retroactive issuance is not possible. If you fall ill on a Friday or at the weekend and your employer wants you to take a sick leave for that day, then unfortunately you will have to contact the medical on-call/emergency service. If you then present yourself to us on Mondays, we can only issue an sick leave for past days if you present an appropriate medical certificate.
A sick leave for scheduled medical examinations is generally not issued. Here the rule is that your employer must release you for necessary medical examinations. You will receive a medical certificate as proof from the attending doctor. If it is not possible for organisational reasons for you to go to work before/after the examination, then the employer must either release you for the whole day or you must take a day off for this.
Legislation allows up to three days of sick leave before a medical certificate must be submitted However, employers have the right to demand proof from the first day. Check with your employer when you have to provide proof.
Sickness certifications from the hospital
Hospitals are also authorised to issue sick leaves for the duration of the stay in hospital and up to one week afterwards. On presentation of the discharge letter form the hospital we can also retroactively certify the “AU” from the day of admission according to the discharge letter. But for this you have to present yourself in our center at least 1 day after having left the hospital. If you change departments within the hospital, please make sure that either the letters of all departments are available or that the complete stay is confirmed in a separate certificate.
Extended sick leave for more than 6 weeks
If an AU has to be extended, then the presentation to our center should take place at the latest one working day after the end of the last AU, otherwise you risk losing the sickness benefit payment. You’d better come by for an extension before the AU expires. If the first certificate was issued by another doctor, please be sure to bring us a copy.