# Sick during Unpaid Maternity Leave



## aisling o'b (12 Jan 2009)

I was sick recently during unpaid maternity. 

Am I

(a) entited to add the sick days to the end of my maternity leave?
(b) claim sick benefit for those days I was sick?

(All with appropriate forms from doc of course!)

Many thanks.


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## Ceist Beag (13 Jan 2009)

With all due respect Aisling I would be gobsmacked if you were entitled to either of these. That would be like (at least to my way of thinking) being sick on holidays and asking if you could get these holidays back after!


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## TLC (13 Jan 2009)

Surely if you are sick during your holiday leave & produce a cert you are entitled to your days back?  You are after all in paid employment while on holiday.


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## WaterSprite (13 Jan 2009)

TLC said:


> Surely if you are sick during your holiday leave & produce a cert you are entitled to your days back?  You are after all in paid employment while on holiday.



You're absolutely right - but you may not get paid for the sick days.  If your company does not normally pay for sick days, you won't get paid for 3 days or less.  Thereafter, you'd be paid under SW but you can indeed "reclaim" your holidays.

On the maternity leave point, citizen's information has some information, but it just looks like it applies where one wants to "end" unpaid maternity leave early and change it to sick leave.  Don't know what happens if e.g. someone is sick in the middle of maternity leave but then wants to restart maternity leave after recovery.

P.s. Info on sick leave/holidays here.


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## alaskaonline (13 Jan 2009)

you have the option to change it to sick leave, however as the previous poster mentioned already, if you do you would agree to end your maternity leave. you can't have both unfortunately. if you get paid for your sick days and you're maternity leave is almost over anyway, it might be worth considering the option of taking the sick leave and ending the maternity leave.


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## eggerb (14 Jan 2009)

Ceist Beag said:


> With all due respect Aisling I would be gobsmacked if you were entitled to either of these. That would be like (at least to my way of thinking) being sick on holidays and asking if you could get these holidays back after!


 
If I become sick (certified) whilst on annual leave, I can notify my employer and this has the effect of cancelling the annual leave and sick pay is paid instead. So yes, in effect, I get the annual leave days back for the says I was sick. This doesn't apply to uncertified sickness.

Not sure about the maternity question.


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## Ceist Beag (14 Jan 2009)

eggerb said:


> If I become sick (certified) whilst on annual leave, I can notify my employer and this has the effect of cancelling the annual leave and sick pay is paid instead. So yes, in effect, I get the annual leave days back for the says I was sick. This doesn't apply to uncertified sickness.



Sounds fair when you put it like that but to be honest it would never enter my head to claim this back if it was to happen to me. Not saying there is anything wrong with it, just isn't something I would have thought to do.


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