This law is only in effect for businesses that employ more than 15 people. The Family Medical Leave Act, passed in 1993, allows people emergency time off to care for dependents or themselves if they are too ill to do their work. The individual may return to the same job or one that is comparable to it. This law affects not only those being treated for ESRD but can also be applied to those who decide to donate a kidney to a loved one. Employers should be informed of such laws and make their employees aware of them.
Employers are less likely to be challenged if their employees know their rights.
While ESRD patients may be eligible for Social Security Disability, many of them express a strong desire to continue their jobs, if they are working, or to get back to a job, if they have been temporarily unemployed. In many cases, the disability payments will be less than a person s former salary. In addition to earning money, work is a way of enhancing a person s self-esteem. Work also gives people a chance to practice skills and abilities and to socialize with others. Kidney diseases are not contagious, and there is absolutely no risk to your other employees.