(Northwest, USA) My mother tore something in her elbow that requires surgery that would make her miss ~3 months of work. She works in upper management at a hospital where she's moved up through the ranks over the last 30 years. They offer long term disability, which she had to use about 10 years ago for knee surgery, where she also missed about 2 months of work. She didn't have any issues getting that approved.
She was promoted last year and her new boss won't let her have this elbow surgery, essentially saying “if you have surgery don't plan on coming back to work.” The boss said my mother would have to find and hire an interim employee to take over my mother's duties while she's gone, among other requirements and deadlines to meet before the boss will allow her to have the surgery.
My mother can generally function fine without the surgery. It's considered an elective surgery, but she's in constant discomfort and sometimes pain. She's hoping she can get it done at the end of next month. But it's ridiculous that her work has a say in her health, especially as a hospital!