A serious health condition may involve one or more of the following:
Hospitalization or a stay in hospice or residential health care facility.Absence for more than three consecutive days plus treatment from a healthcare provider.
Chronic condition that continues over an extended period of time and requires periodic visits for treatment from a healthcare provider. It may cause episodic rather than a continuing period of incapacity (e.g., asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, etc.).
Permanent or long-term conditions requiring supervision (e.g., Alzheimer's, a severe stroke or the terminal stages of a disease).
Multiple treatments for non-chronic conditions either for restorative surgery after an accident or other injury, or for a condition that would likely result in a period of incapacity in the absence of medical intervention treatment, such as cancer (chemotherapy, radiation, etc.) severe arthritis (physical therapy), kidney disease (dialysis).
A period of incapacity due to pregnancy, or for prenatal care. NOTE: An employee's own incapacity due to pregnancy is covered as a serious health condition under FMLA but not under CFRA.
Things that don't generally qualify as serious health conditions may, for example, include:
Routine physical examinations
Eye examinations
Dental examinations
Cosmetic surgery
Common cold/flu
Earaches
Headaches (other than migraines)