How to accommodate employees who suffer from migraines.

• Author: Davenport, Anniken
• Position: Accommodations Spotlight

Headaches are one of the most commonly experienced medical conditions. In fact, more than 80% of adults will experience tension headaches from time to time. They're easily treatable with over-the-counter medications.

But about 12% of Americans suffer from a far more debilitating and hard-to-treat condition: migraine headaches. Here's your guide to accommodating workers who suffer from migraines.

What are migraines?

According to the Mayo Clinic, migraine headaches can be characterized as having four different stages:

1. The first is called the prodrome stage, characterized by a craving for certain foods, a need to urinate often and frequent yawning.

2. Next, patients may experience an aura characterized by seeing bright or flashing lights or zigzag lines before pain starts in earnest.

3. The migraine itself usually manifests as severe pain--often throbbing or pulsing--on one side of the head. It may start slowly and build. During the acute headache phase, sufferers may feel nauseous and vomit, and be sensitive to light, sound and smells.

4. Following the acute phase, patients may feel weak, tired and confused for about a day.

A migraine episode may last as little as four hours or up to three days if untreated. Several medications can reduce migraine pain or help prevent migraines from occurring. Some patients who have medical conditions such as heart disease or who have a high risk of strokes cannot take preventive drugs.

Accommodating migraines

Both the FMLA and the ADA provide legal protections to employees who suffer from migraine headaches.

Intermittent FMLA leave: It is common for employees to request intermittent FMLA leave to deal with recurring migraines. If an employee experiences two or more migraines per year, the condition probably qualifies as a chronic one, eligible for intermittent leave. Under the law, employers can require employees to have a healthcare provider estimate how many absences may be expected, broken down to weekly or monthly estimates.

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