Medical Information Privacy

Do not submit BCTF SIP applications to our employer in support of a medical leave request. SIP applications contain confidential medical and personal information intended solely for benefit administration. This information is private, and employers are not entitled to receive it, nor can they require it in order to approve a medical leave.

At the outset, the medical information on Medical Certificates belongs to the teacher and not the employer.

Generally, the employer is entitled to know the following to assess routine requests for extended medical leaves:

· whether the employee is under the care of a physician;

· whether the employee is following the care/treatment;

· what the return to work date is, if known; and

· any modifications required to support a return to work.

The employer is not entitled to know:

· diagnosis; or

· details of treatment.

As well, employers are not entitled to contact a member’s physician/healthcare provider directly without your written consent.

BCTF Legal does not recommend that members provide consent for their employer to contact their physician directly. All medical information should go through the employee or the local. This is regardless of whether the medical information is for a partial or complete medical leave or for accommodation purposes.

WCB, however, is able to contact a physician for a teacher who is on a WCB claim.

The preamble on the medical form that you sign and bring to your physician to complete should only authorize your physician to complete the medical form; it should not provide consent for the physician to release information directly to the employer.

Physicians often complete the form after you have left the office. They may not fill it out as fully as you expected. It’s important that you review the completed medical form. Ensure it aligns with the conversation you had with your doctor before it is sent to the employer.

You should talk to your doctor about any concerns you have with respect to disclosing private medical information. Examples of information that usually do not have to be provided:

· diagnosis

· specific treatments

· medication

· types of therapies

· reasons for the illness

Complex medical accommodation requests are dealt with by the employer and the union on a case-by-case basis and may require sharing essential additional medical information to implement the accommodation.

Providing SIP documentation unnecessarily discloses sensitive health information, weakens established privacy protections, and may create inappropriate expectations for future requests.

The KCTU Executive Committee passed a motion at its January 7, 2026, meeting requesting the employer to include the following statement in all employer requests for medical information to support medical leave applications:

“To protect your medical privacy rights, please do not submit BCTF SIP applications to the employer in support of your application for medical leave because it contains information the employer is not entitled to see or requires to approve your leave.”

If you are unsure about what documentation is appropriate to provide, or if you are being asked for medical information you believe is excessive, please contact me via return email or at lp20@bctf.ca for guidance before submitting anything.