Self-Certification FAQs

COVID-19 High Risk Employees

Completing the Forms to Be Identified as High Risk

1. I have already certified as high risk twice, do I have to do it again?
2. If my unit is already teleworking during the pandemic, do I have to identify as high risk?
3. Can I provide a doctor’s note as documentation instead of the Library’s form?
4. Will the Library reimburse me for the cost of having my medical provider complete the form?
5. Do I need to fill out the form twice if I am both personally at high risk and also a primary caregiver for a high risk person?  Does one high risk identification take precedence?
6. What constitutes “medical documentation on file with HSD”?
7. Why is age not a criterion anymore?
8. Why is living with someone who is high risk not itself a criterion?
9. Can my request to be identified as high risk for serious complications from COVID-19 be denied and if so, is there an appeal?
10. Should I let my supervisor know I am submitting these forms?

After I’m Identified as High Risk

1. What happens after HSD concludes I submitted sufficient documentation to be considered high risk or a caregiver for someone who is high risk?
2. Will I automatically get 100% telework or get administrative leave if my job cannot be done remotely?
3. The documentation from my doctor says that the only accommodation that will work is telework.  Will my supervisor grant my request to telework? 
4. I haven’t been able to perform a lot of my duties while teleworking – I’ve filled up my days the best I could by working on other assignments.  Can I continue to stay home?
5. What if there are no modifications the Library could offer that my medical care provider believes would make it safe for me to come on site?
6. If my supervisor grants a workplace modification as a result of a high risk certification, is it considered permanent?
7. If I am considered high risk can my supervisor make me come onsite?

Travel Quarantine

1. What is considered “essential travel” under the D.C. travel quarantine order?

Completing the Forms to Be Identified as High Risk

1. I have already certified as high risk twice, do I have to do it again?

   Yes.  The criteria have changed and there are additional documentation requirements now.

2. If my unit is already teleworking during the pandemic, do I have to identify as high risk?

   Completing the forms to identify as high risk is always voluntary.  As we move forward with restoring all Library operations, identifying as high risk will ensure that the Library works with you to identify any special modifications that are needed to keep you safe as you work during the pandemic. 

3. Can I provide a doctor’s note as documentation instead of the Library’s form?

   Yes.  Your doctor may provide a note instead of the Library form, as long as all the necessary information is included in the note.  Be sure to check that the note is complete so you won’t have to go back to your medical provider to get another.   

4. Will the Library reimburse me for the cost of having my medical provider complete the form?

   No.  The Library will not reimburse you for getting medical documentation to support your request for accommodation for high risk status.  

5. Do I need to fill out the form twice if I am both personally at high risk and also a primary caregiver for a high risk person?  Does one high risk identification take precedence?

   You only need to fill out one form to be identified as high risk.  If your own condition(s) puts you at high risk, we recommend you fill out a form for yourself.  If someone you care for is also at high risk, you may also fill out a form for them.  

6. What constitutes “medical documentation on file with HSD”?

   Acceptable medical documentation is an approved Library form, application, or signed medical provider note that specifically provides a relevant diagnosis.  For example, if you already have an ADA accommodation or approved FMLA leave for the same condition that places you (or the person you care for) at high risk for serious complications from COVID-19, the medical documentation that supported that request would be sufficient.   

   High risk certification forms submitted earlier in the pandemic, however, are not sufficient.    

   On your new high risk identification form, be sure to indicate that you believe you already have medical documentation on file which shows a link between your medical condition and a higher risk of serious outcomes from COVID-19.  If the documentation you have on file is not sufficient, Health Services will notify you.

7. Why is age not a criterion anymore?

   Current CDC recommendations do not include age alone as a definitive criterion for being at high risk for serious outcomes of COVID-19 (e.g., admission to ICU, needing a ventilator, or death).  While it is generally agreed that risk increases with age and that risk is highest for people over 85, there is no reliable data to show that there is another age where risk is absolute.

   If your medical provider believes that your age, in conjunction with your general health status, places you at a higher risk of a serious outcome, please follow the instructions under option 2.

8. Why is living with someone who is high risk not itself a criterion?

   Living with a person who is high risk places an additional responsibility on you to follow all public health precautions, especially when you go out.  These include wearing a mask properly, washing hands regularly, maintaining physical distance of greater than 6 feet from others, and not touching surfaces without wiping them down or subsequently washing your hands. 

   The CDC has many tips and recommendations for exercising these precautions if you are in the same house or space with someone whose health is compromised, who may have to quarantine, or if you have to quarantine: 

   • https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/living-in-close-quarters.html
     
   • https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/index.html

   The precautions the Library is taking on site during the pandemic are intended to help you manage COVID-19 risks – including requiring people who have symptoms to stay home, requiring everyone to wear masks, social distancing, adjusting work spaces, putting up barriers, restricting in-person gatherings, providing parking, providing hand sanitizers, and requiring extra cleaning, etc.  

   It is more difficult to manage risks if you provide up-close care for someone whose health is severely compromised.  If you are in this position, you may submit documentation to be identified as high risk under option 3 on the High Risk Identification form.

9. Can my request to be identified as high risk for serious complications from COVID-19 be denied and if so, is there an appeal?

   Yes, identification as high risk could be denied. Being identified as high risk is based on your meeting various qualifying criteria laid out by the CDC and substantiated by your medical provider.  Your doctor may identify other conditions that put you at high risk.  If you do not meet any of these criteria, you would not qualify for the high risk classification.  This should be a relatively straightforward process.  Health Services determination is final, but you are able to reapply if your circumstances change or if you have updated information you wish to share with Health Services. 

10. Should I let my supervisor know I am submitting these forms?

    You should let your supervisor know generally that you have submitted paperwork for high risk identification, but should not divulge any medical information to them.  

After I’m Identified as High Risk

1. What happens after HSD concludes I submitted sufficient documentation to be considered high risk or a caregiver for someone who is high risk?

   On a weekly basis, Health Services will provide a list of each service unit’s high risk individuals to the unit representative on the Operations Committee in accordance with our current policy.  This list will help service units plan. 

   The service units will notify your supervisor. Your supervisor will begin an interactive process working with you to determine reasonable modifications to the way you work (e.g., scheduling, telework), your work place, or your job to enable you to work safely during the pandemic. 

2. Will I automatically get 100% telework or get administrative leave if my job cannot be done remotely? 

   No, you will not automatically get 100% telework or administrative leave if your job cannot be done remotely.

   No.  There is no automatic, one-size-fits-all approach to ensuring that high risk employees will be safe while they work. 

   The Library is using telework agency-wide to promote social distancing for everyone – reducing the density of people who have to come into Library facilities and thereby the risk of spreading the virus.  You may already be teleworking for this general reason. 

   For high risk people whose jobs can be done remotely, teleworking will continue to be the best option.  For people whose jobs must be done on site, we will need to work through a range of accommodations to keep you (or the people you care for) safe. 

3. The documentation from my doctor says that the only accommodation that will work is telework.  Will my supervisor grant my request to telework?

   Yes, but only if your supervisor determines that you have been able to perform the essential duties of your position while teleworking. 

4. I haven’t been able to perform a lot of my duties while teleworking – I’ve filled up my days the best I could by working on other assignments.  Can I continue to stay home? 

   Not necessarily.  If you have not been able to perform essential duties while teleworking or you have been on paid administrative leave, your supervisor will determine whether your medical care provider identified alternative modifications that would allow you to safely work onsite.  These might include, for example, parking, socially distanced workspace, working outside of the regular hours, picking up assignments and then leaving to work on them at home, or other suggested workplace modifications.

5. What if there are no modifications the Library could offer that my medical care provider believes would make it safe for me to come on site?

   Your supervisor will see if there are any other accommodations the Library can offer. This could include finding another position for you temporarily that would be suitable for telework. As a last resort, if there are no other reasonable accommodations, and your medical care provider believes there are no accommodations that would make it safe for you to report on-site, you will be granted the option to use accrued leave or leave without pay. In some instances, based on each employee’s own medical history, sick leave and FMLA may also be appropriate.

6. If my supervisor grants a workplace modification as a result of a high risk certification, is it considered permanent?

   No.  Most workplace modifications will remain for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic emergency.  From time to time, though, your supervisor will review the workplace modification(s) and will let you know if any changes or additional documentation is needed.

7. If I am considered high risk can my supervisor make me come onsite?

   Yes. An employee who is certified as high risk may still be required to work on site in certain instances.  For example an employee may be required to come onsite to pick-up or drop-off materials/equipment or to perform some tasks on site. 

Travel Quarantine

1. What is considered “essential travel” under the D.C. travel quarantine order?

   D.C. Mayor’s Order 2020-081 establishes a 14-day quarantine for people who’ve undertaken “non-essential travel” to high risk areas and requires people who’ve undertaken essential travel to high risk areas to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms and limit their interactions with other people for 14 days. 

   As explained in section IV.2. of the quarantine order, “essential travel” is defined the same way it was in the Mayor’s earlier “stay-at-home” order, DC. 2020-054.  Here is that definition:   

   IV.5.   "Essential Travel" means:

   • a. Travel related to the provision of, or access to, Essential Activities, Essential Governmental Functions, Essential Businesses, or Minimum Basic Operations, including travel to and from work to operate Essential Businesses or maintain Essential Governmental Functions;  [The capitalized terms are also defined in D.C. 2020-054.] 
   • b. Travel to care for elderly, minors, dependents, persons with disabilities, or other vulnerable persons;
   • c. Travel required to visit a house of worship;
   • d. Travel to or from educational institutions for purposes of receiving materials for distance learning, for receiving meals, and any other related services;
   • e. Travel to return to a place of residence from outside Washington, DC;
   • f. Travel required by law enforcement or court order;
   • g. Travel required for non-residents to return to their place of residence outside Washington, DC; and
   • h. Travel within the Washington region to engage in allowable activities under that jurisdiction's laws.

   To this list of essential travel, the new quarantine order also adds travel of less than 24 hours to or through the District for any reason.

   Since official Library travel has been curtailed, it is unlikely that any “Essential Government Functions” travel under 5.a. is happening.