I help take care of my mother who has brain damage and front temporal dementia. She lives by herself at this moment still. I take care of all her finances and drive her to appointments. When I need to take off of work can I get paid? I have no PTO left.
Her lower/upper GI doctor she was going to because of a thickness in the top of her stomach that the hospital felt needed looked at. Dr felt it was caused by Gerd. We went back every 6 months. No change, so we went to a year. Same with her thyroid Dr. started out reg visits until her numbers were under control. Visits went to a year every six months labs.
Some of Moms visits were just to go over lab findings. If this is your Mom, ask if you can be called with the findings that its hard for you to get off work. You are not paid when u don't work.
My opinion, Medicare allows them to bill for "follow ups" so they have you come in again. This doesn't mean you have to.
I also had Moms PCP go over her meds. She was on a med for fast heartbeat. Not needed once she was on Thyroid meds. There was others, can't remember which.
You are very lucky that your Company allows you to take time off over what they allow. The last Co. I worked for you were written up and I know one woman was let go.
Now, if I had used my own vehicle to drive my parents, they would offer to pay for filling up the tank. They just didn't understand the concept that "time was money" in my career.
I had to try to schedule appointments back to back for my parents so I wouldn't need to have to take yet another half day off.