Real pages from the kit files. Example details are illustrative.
Leave and Accommodation Kit
Handle a leave request or an accommodation the way a careful, defensible process should run, from the first conversation to a documented decision, without improvising the parts that carry legal weight. A guided system: find which of FMLA, the ADA, state leave, and PTO apply, check eligibility, track the leave in hours, run the accommodation through the interactive process, and document the call.
One-time purchase, no subscription. Instant download.
Built by expert HR practitioners and leaders
- A Field Guide to leave and accommodation: how to take a request from the first conversation to a documented decision, covering which of the four systems apply, FMLA from eligibility to job restoration, the ADA interactive process, and how state paid leave and PTO fit
- An FMLA Eligibility Check: work through the covered-employer and eligible-employee tests and get a clear read on whether someone qualifies and how many protected weeks and hours they have, so the threshold call is consistent every time
- A leave tracker that counts in hours: track each person against the twelve-week entitlement in hours, not just days, so intermittent and reduced-schedule leave is charged correctly, with a case log for every matter from open to return
- An accommodation log and the interactive process: move each request from first discussion to a granted, alternative, or declined outcome, with the limitation, the options weighed, and a review date on the record
- A full template set and a state reference: editable Word forms for the leave request, the rights and determination summary, the medical certification request, the ADA accommodation request, the interactive process record, and the return to work, plus a leave-laws-by-state tab and a plain-language definitions reference
The kit gives you the process and the record. It does not make the call for you, and it routes the high-risk situations to qualified counsel.
A guided process, templates, and general business information for planning, not legal or tax advice. Leave and accommodation are governed by federal law, state law, and sometimes city rules that vary and change, so confirm current requirements for your state, and bring in qualified counsel for anything involving a denial, a termination during leave, a complex medical situation, or a possible legal claim.
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Last reviewed June 2026
Buying for clients or multiple entities? The White-Label tier is in the license.
Four files that take a request from the first conversation to a documented decision
A guided process, not a stack of forms. Read the Field Guide first, work a request through the Workbook in the order it runs, from the eligibility check to the logs, and use the matching Word templates for the record at each step. Built to be used together.
Start Here
A one-page map: read the Field Guide first, then work a request through the Workbook in order, from the FMLA Eligibility Check to the leave and accommodation logs. It also sets out the habit to follow before you decide, treat a request as the start of a process, not a yes-or-no question.
The Field Guide (14 pages)
How to handle a request in twelve short sections: what the kit is for, the four systems that govern time away and how to tell which applies, FMLA from who is covered through notice, certification, designation, intermittent leave, and job restoration, the ADA interactive process and reasonable accommodation, state paid leave and sick time, how PTO stacks, documentation and privacy, and the high-risk situations to pause on.
The Workbook
Seven working tabs: a Start Here, the FMLA Eligibility Check, the FMLA Leave Tracker that counts in hours, the Leave Case Log, the Accommodation Log, a Leave Laws by State reference, and a plain-language Definitions tab. It works in Excel or Google Sheets, and a worked example runs through every tab.
The Templates
Eight editable forms that produce the record at each step: an employee leave request, a leave determination and rights summary, a medical certification request, an intermittent leave schedule and tracking form, an ADA accommodation request, an interactive process record, an accommodation agreement and follow-up, and a return to work and leave closeout.
The method in the order a request runs
Take the request in, find which laws apply, check eligibility, run the right path, and document the decision. The kit structures each step; you make the calls, and counsel covers the close ones.
Take the request in and find the laws that apply
Treat a request for time off or an adjustment as the start of a process, not a yes-or-no question. Note what the request is really about, then check each of the four systems that might reach it, FMLA, the ADA, state paid leave, and your own PTO, because more than one can apply to the same absence at once. Respond promptly and keep any medical detail private from the first conversation.
Check FMLA eligibility and send the notices
Run the FMLA Eligibility Check for the covered-employer and eligible-employee tests, the months and hours worked and the fifty-employees-within-seventy-five-miles count. Where someone qualifies, send the eligibility and rights notice, request a certification if the reason needs one, and designate the leave in writing, so the clock and the paperwork are correct.
Track the leave in hours where it is intermittent
Log the leave on the FMLA Leave Tracker against the twelve-week entitlement. Count intermittent and reduced-schedule leave in hours, not days, so a few hours here and there are charged correctly and the remaining balance is right. Keep the Leave Case Log current for every matter from the day it opens to the return.
Run the accommodation through the interactive process
When the request is for an adjustment, recognize it even without the right words, understand the limitation, and explore the options together on the Accommodation Log. Engaging in that back-and-forth is itself part of the duty. Weigh what is workable against the significant difficulty or expense that would make an accommodation an undue hardship, consider leave only where nothing else fits, and record the outcome with a review date.
Document the decision and close the loop
Write down what you decided and why on the right template, the rights and determination summary for a leave, the accommodation agreement for an adjustment, and the return to work and closeout when the person comes back. Keep medical records in a separate confidential file, share only on a need-to-know basis, and confirm anything near a legal line with counsel first.
A leave or accommodation request is worked, not winged
These go wrong in predictable ways: missing that more than one law applies, counting intermittent leave in days instead of hours, skipping the interactive process, denying or delaying without working out which rules were in play, or putting medical detail where it does not belong. The fix is a process. This kit gives you the eligibility check, the trackers, the interactive-process log, and the state reference, so a request is handled promptly, privately, and on the law, and so you know which situations to stop and hand to counsel.
The kit tells you when to call a lawyer
Most leave and accommodation requests can be handled in-house with a careful, documented process. Some sit near a legal line, and the kit marks them, so you slow down and get qualified input before a decision creates exposure. Advice before you act is far cheaper than defending a misstep after.
Who does what
Handling leave and accommodation splits the work between you, the kit, and your counsel. Here is the split, stated plainly.
- The kit structures the process; you run it. The eligibility check, the trackers, and the interactive-process log organize the work and keep it consistent. Talking with the employee, weighing what is workable, and making the call are yours to do.
- The kit does the FMLA math; you confirm the facts. It checks eligibility and counts the entitlement in hours, including intermittent leave. Confirming hours worked, the reason, and the dates, and sending the notices, is the part you own.
- The kit flags the legal lines; counsel rules on them. A denial, a termination during leave, a complex medical picture, or a pregnancy or nursing accommodation is a signal to pause and get input. The kit tells you when a matter needs a lawyer; counsel tells you what to do about it.
- The kit gives you a state starting point; counsel confirms your state. It includes a leave-laws-by-state reference. Because state and city rules vary and change, current requirements for your location are confirmed with qualified counsel or your state agency before you rely on them.
- The kit keeps the record, and the record is the point. A documented eligibility check, a tracked leave balance, a logged interactive process, and a written decision are the difference between a request you can defend and one you cannot.
Who it is built for
Who this kit fits, and where to go if that is not you.
Built for
- An HR generalist, manager, or business owner who has to handle a leave request or an accommodation and wants to get the eligibility, the notices, the tracking, and the decision right, with the record to show for it.
- An HR team of one, or a small HR function, that needs one consistent process for FMLA, the ADA, and state leave across every request, instead of looking up the rules from scratch each time.
- An operations or people leader who has to be sure a leave or accommodation was handled correctly and documented, and who wants to know when a request has to go to counsel before it goes further.
If you are looking for
- A pregnancy, childbirth, or nursing accommodation, which is governed by its own federal rules under the PWFA and the PUMP Act. The PWFA and PUMP Accommodation Kit covers that path.
- Tracking accrued PTO and leave balances as an ongoing operations task, rather than deciding a single protected-leave request. The PTO and Leave Tracker in the HR Operations Binder handles that.
- A chronic attendance problem you are managing with an attendance policy or point system, where the absences are not protected leave. The Attendance Point System Tracker is built for that.
Before you buy
What format are the files and can I edit them?
Is this legal advice?
How is this different from a free FMLA or ADA checklist?
Does it cover state paid leave, not just FMLA?
What is the refund policy?
What happens after I buy?
Can I expense this purchase to my business?
Most customers buy TrueStep HR tools for business use, and a tool you use for work often qualifies as a deductible business expense. Whether it does for you depends on your situation, so confirm with your accountant or tax professional. Your receipt arrives by email at checkout and works as documentation.
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Handle the next leave request the right way and document it
Find which laws apply, check eligibility, track the leave in hours, run the accommodation through the interactive process, and document the decision, in files you keep, with the kit telling you when to bring in counsel.
A guided process and templates for planning, not legal or tax advice. Last reviewed June 2026.