Pilot sick banks cost airlines millions of dollars. Harvey Watt can manage your sick leave program without alienating your pilots, and at a reasonable cost!
Harvey Watt: The Smart Choice for Absence Management
- 65 years of experience in Medical & FAA Record Collection, and Short/Long Term Disabilities verification
- Absence Management for airlines and 65,000 pilots
- Protection from liability exposure by independent third party record keeping
- AeroMedical network of 500 Medical Specialists
- HIPAA health record compliance and training, audited at least 4 times annually
- Represent airline’s best interests while working with Union representatives
- Flight Ops Management integration to administer sick leave program
- Fitness for Duty Evaluations & Airline/ Union Specific CBA Medical Reviews
- Sick leave utilization & dashboard reporting
- Mitigate airline liability by proper case management, documentation, & oversight
- Collect and retain medical records confirming pilots are legal to fly
- Effectively verify proof of disability
- Highly responsive staff of doctors, nurses, and paramedics
- Address time-sensitive operational issues such as bid close out
- Approve airmen to return to work/jumpseat
Sick Leave Management Options
Harvey Watt offers five sick leave program options to meet your needs and minimize your costs. Contact Harvey Watt to learn how we can build a dynamic Sick Leave Management program for you!
Sick Leave Verification Plan. Front-end verification only for pilots who exceed the average sick leave usage. Harvey Watt’s Medical Director, AeroMedical Nurse, or a Clinical Consultant reviews required pilot documentation substantiating sick leave requests.
Sick Leave Monitoring Plan. Monitors sick leave usage based on Company-defined criteria, such as pilots with less than 36 hours of sick time remaining. Based on the diagnosis, treatment plan, and an estimated return to work date, we open a “tracking only” case file. Monitoring continues until the pilot returns to work.
Sick Leave Management Plan. Manages approved pilot sick leaves of absence. Includes completed medical documentation based on predetermined criteria. We open case files, our Medical Director reviews case updates, and we provide FAA certification advice to expedite the return to flight status.
Sick Leave Disability Plan. Implemented in lieu of, or in addition to, a formal Short Term Disability Plan. Airmen use sick leave after submitting claim forms and medical documentation. We review the paperwork to confirm the illness or injury, determine if the medical condition disables or disqualifies the pilot from work, and track the case until the pilot returns to work. Flight Management can still require a Fitness for Duty Evaluation. Pilots must sign a certified statement of claim form, so they can be held accountable for unsubstantiated sick leave use if the claim is denied.
Fitness for Duty Evaluation. Questionable cases, such as pilot drug/alcohol abuse, crew interaction issues, or disciplinary actions, are referred to independent medical examiners for a formal evaluation. Our doctors and medical staff conduct an initial interview. After an independent specialist evaluation, our Physician Consultant compiles the information, and the airline is given a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” Fitness for Duty determination, without disclosing the Pilot’s medical condition. The records are retained by Harvey Watt, which minimizes possible HIPAA violations.
Return to Work Verification Plan. Determines if the pilot has the proper documentation to return to work per FAA medical standards. Verification may be required when pilots meet predetermined criteria (work absence for 31 days, required Special Issuance Authorization/SODA, medical condition requiring general anesthesia, etc). Flight Management can still require a Fitness for Duty Evaluation. Once the verification is complete, we notify Flight Operations that the airman is cleared to return to work safely. We retain medical records and due diligence history to help mitigate the airline’s liability.