A serious health condition is an illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves inpatient care, or continuing treatment by a health care provider.
Inpatient care is generally an overnight stay in a health care facility.
Continuing treatment is a bit more involved, however. Please note that “treatment” can include exams to determine if a serious health condition exists and evaluations of the condition.
A serious health condition involving continuing treatment includes the following:
- A period of incapacity of more than three, consecutive, full calendar days, and any subsequent treatment that also involves -
- Treatment two or more times within 30 days of the first day of incapacity by a health care provider, or
- Treatment at least once, resulting in a regimen of continuing treatment.
- Any period of incapacity due to pregnancy or for prenatal care.
- Any period of incapacity (or treatment for) a chronic serious health condition requiring treatments at least twice per year and continuing over an extended period of time.
- A period of incapacity for a permanent or long term condition in which treatment may not be effective.
- Any period of absence to receive multiple treatments for restorative surgery or a condition that would likely result in a period of incapacity of more than three days in the absence of treatment.