Employees with the exception of Flight Training based Pilots may check their eligibility through the Help Hub Employee Information tab or may contact the Employee Service Center (ESC) at 877-UAL-ESC9 (1-877-825-3729).  For those that are eligible for FML, we will provide you an FML case number, explain the FML certification process, and send you a FML certification form directly to your corporate email and via US mail to your address of record.

The ESC is available to you seven days a week (including holidays) throughout the year (Monday – Friday 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m, Saturday and Sunday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m central time).

Employees should have their treating health care provider fax FML certification to the FMLA Staff Representative at 847-700-3084. You may also submit your completed FML certification on Help Hub via the attached link.  For Flight Training based Pilots, please have your treating health care provider fax your fully completed certification form to Company Medical (OPCMD) at 847-700-2600.

FML is available to eligible employees to care for their spouse, parent or child with a serious health condition. FML is also available for the employee’s own serious health condition and the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child, qualifying exigency, or to care of an injured service member.

An employee is eligible for FML if the employee is a regular full/part-time employee and:

• Has one year of service with United,
• Has not depleted the 12 work week FML allowance in the previous 12 months and

• • for non-crew members, have worked at least 1,250 hours in the 12 months immediately preceding the date on which the time off is to begin. 
  • for crew members*
    • have worked or been paid not less than 504 hours in the 12 months immediately preceding the need for FML and
    • have worked or been paid not less than 60% of his/her applicable monthly guarantee for the previous12 month period.

Note:  The hours that count toward the required 1,250/504 hours are those you’ve actually worked. In other words, hours for sick leave, vacation, ANP, holidays, commute time, etc., do not count toward the total required hours. Each hour of overtime or holiday work counts as one hour worked, regardless of rate of pay. For crew members, the 504 worked hours are based on duty hours.

After your eligibility has been verified, simply have your treating health care provider fax your fully completed certification form directly to the FML Staff Representative at 847-700-3084 within 15 calendar days from the date you request FML. Flight Training based Pilots should have their completed FML certification faxed to Company Medical (OPCMD) at 847-700-2600. 

To ensure confidentiality and privacy for all employees, access to the ESC is limited to authorized personnel.  Simply have your treating health care provider fax your fully completed certification form directly to the FML Staff Representative at 847-700-3084 within 15 calendar days from the date you request FMLA. Flight Training based Pilots should have their completed FML certification faxed to Company Medical (OPCMD) at 847-700-2600.

 You may also submit your completed FML certification through Help Hub via the attached link.  

Please note, it is your responsibility to ensure the FML certification is faxed and received at the ESC. 

The original paperwork (not a copy) may also be sent through company mail or via the U.S. Mail (Employee Service Center/WHQMW, P.O. Box 66100, Chicago, IL 60666.

You will receive written notification directly to your corporate email and via US Mail to your address of record.

Follow your location’s normal call-in procedures, advise them that you need to use your approved FML, and provide your FML case number.

No, the FML case number is only for reference. The FML Staff Representatives within the ESC and the medical team are the only authorized personnel with access to your confidential FML information.

Your FML case number is located at the top of your initial FML packet and your FML notification letter.  You can also contact the ESC for your FML case number.

You can contact the Employee Service Center to obtain your FML case number at 877-825-3729 (877-825-ESC9) or you can check your eligibility and request a FMLA packet with your case number to be sent your corporate email on Help Hub using the Employee Information tab for FML Eligibility.

According to the Family Medical Leave Act, a qualified employee may take up to 12 workweeks in a rolling 12-month period. If you have been approved for multiple FML cases (due to different conditions, care of a family member, etc.), you are allowed a total of 12 workweeks in a rolling 12-month period.

Pilots may use up to 250 hours of FML in a rolling 12 months.  Flight Attendants may use up to 78 days of FML in a rolling 12 months.

Yes, you may be asked to re-certify your FML if your FML usage is outside the parameters specified by your treating health care provider, your pattern of usage is not consistent with the condition, United receives information that casts doubt upon the stated reason for leave or if the circumstances described in the initial certification documentation have changed significantly.

If you have been approved for FML and your FML usage is consistent with the parameters specified by your treating health care provider, you will automatically receive sick pay (as long as you have enough sick time in your bank) for your own serious health condition FML case.  When using FML to care for a family member, any unscheduled VAC will be used for pay purposes, running concurrently with your FML. If you would like your FML absence to care for a family member to be coded as no pay, please contact your local department or Supervisor. 

Note: Employees whose FML is governed by a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) should refer to the terms and conditions of the CBA for information regarding receiving pay while using FML.

When an employee calls in FML for eligible family member we will default to assuming pay if the employee has unscheduled DATs available. Either the system or the ESC will default to coding FML for family member to deplete unscheduled DATs to ensure pay.

If you do not want to use a DAT for the purpose of assuming pay for FML for a family member, please notify local management or the admin team when planning to utilize FML to ensure the appropriate code is entered in the respective system.

Under United’s paid absence policy, at times you may also be asked to submit an absence certificate to Company medical to substantiate an absence.

No, the FML certification will specify the period of absence and will allow for any pay available to you under United policy without additional documentation.  However, based on your reason for FML, you may be asked to submit further medical documentation to Company Medical prior to returning to work.

The FML eligibility requirements are evaluated for an employee returning from military leave as if the employee had been continuously employed. A returning employee is thus given credit for months she or he would have been employed but for the military service to determine whether the employee meets the 12 months of service eligibility requirement. Similarly, a returning employee is credited with the hours that the employee would have worked but for the military service in determining whether the employee meets the 1,250/504 work hours requirement. The employee’s pre-service work schedule should be used to calculate the hours that would have been worked during the service period.