TL;DR: Sedgwick is a private third-party administrator — not a government agency — that many large employers hire to process FMLA, disability, and other leave claims on their behalf. If your employer uses Sedgwick, you file and manage your claim through the mySedgwick portal (or by phone), not through your manager or HR directly. Federal FMLA still governs your actual rights: up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave if you've worked 12 months, logged 1,250 hours, and your employer has 50+ employees within 75 miles. Here's how the Sedgwick side of the process generally works.
If your company outsources leave administration, you've probably already discovered that your manager can't tell you whether your FMLA request is approved — only Sedgwick can. That's disorienting the first time it happens, because Sedgwick isn't your employer and isn't a government office, either. It's a private claims administrator working under contract, and its process has its own logins, forms, and deadlines layered on top of the federal law. This guide walks through what Sedgwick actually is, how the mySedgwick portal works, what to expect at each stage of a claim, and where its process ends and your federal FMLA rights begin.
What Is Sedgwick?
Sedgwick is a privately held claims administration company — not a government program, and not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Labor. On its own site, Sedgwick describes itself as a manager of "all statutory and company-specific leave of absence policies — including leaves under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), paid family and medical leaves, and military service" for the employers that contract with it, positioning itself as "the industry leader in integrated leave and disability administration."
In practice, that means your employer pays Sedgwick to receive your leave request, collect your medical certification, apply the eligibility rules, decide whether your leave qualifies as FMLA, and track how much of your 12 weeks you've used. Your manager still handles scheduling around your absence, but the legal determination — approved, denied, or pending more information — comes from Sedgwick's claims examiners, not from HR down the hall.
Walmart is the most visible example: its entire leave-of-absence program, including FMLA, runs through Sedgwick, which is why a Walmart associate calls 800-492-5678 or logs into mySedgwick.com instead of asking a store manager. (We cover that specific process in detail in our Walmart leave of absence guide.) Sedgwick's client base extends well beyond retail — Boston University's HR department, for instance, publishes its own employee guide to filing paid family and medical leave claims through Sedgwick, and Sedgwick's leave and disability division reports managing absences for millions of covered employees across industries. If you're not sure whether your employer uses Sedgwick, your onboarding paperwork or benefits portal is the place to check — there's no public, employer-by-employer list to search.
How the mySedgwick Portal Works
mySedgwick (sometimes shown as the OmniClaims platform) is Sedgwick's self-service claims portal. According to Sedgwick's own help center, once you register an account you can:
File a new claim online instead of starting by phone
Upload documents and forms directly to your claim file
View your claim status, along with payment history if disability pay is involved
Communicate with your assigned adjuster or claims examiner
Access your account and chat support around the clock
You don't strictly need an account to start a claim — most Sedgwick-administered programs also accept an initial report by phone — but once a claim exists, the portal is generally the fastest way to see where things stand instead of waiting on a letter. If you're on an intermittent schedule, some employer programs also use mySedgwick (or a linked phone line) to log each individual absence against the leave already approved.
How to File an FMLA Claim Through Sedgwick
The exact steps vary somewhat by employer, since each company sets its own leave policy on top of federal FMLA — but the general sequence looks like this.
Step 1: Notify Your Employer
Tell your manager or supervisor that you'll need leave, following whatever notice period your employer's policy sets. This is a courtesy and a scheduling heads-up — it does not start or approve your FMLA claim.
Step 2: Open a Claim With Sedgwick
Register or log in at mySedgwick.com, or call the claims number your specific employer provides (this number is set by your employer's contract with Sedgwick and isn't the same for every company — check your employee handbook, benefits portal, or HR contact rather than assuming a number you find online applies to you). Have your employee ID, your employer's name, the reason for leave, and your expected dates ready.
Step 3: Provide Your Health Care Provider's Information
For your own or a family member's serious health condition, Sedgwick will need your provider's name and contact information to send the medical certification paperwork. Some Sedgwick-administered programs also ask providers to include their NPI/TIN and specific diagnosis codes on the certification to avoid processing delays — a detail worth confirming with your provider's office before they submit anything.
Step 4: Get Your Certification Back on Time
Under federal FMLA regulations, once your employer (or its administrator) requests medical certification, you generally have 15 calendar days to return it, unless it's not practicable despite diligent effort. Some employer-specific programs set a different internal deadline — Walmart's Sedgwick-administered process, for example, generally allows 20 days for the initial certification. Confirm the exact deadline in the paperwork Sedgwick sends you rather than assuming a single number applies everywhere, and don't wait until the deadline to start — your provider's office may need lead time of its own.
Step 5: Wait for a Determination
Sedgwick reviews your certification against your employer's leave policy and federal FMLA eligibility rules, then issues a determination. Sedgwick doesn't publish a single guaranteed turnaround time on its own site, and in practice the wait depends heavily on how quickly your provider's paperwork comes back complete. Some employer-specific claim guides describe a turnaround of a few business days once Sedgwick has everything it needs — but treat any specific number you see online (including in this post) as a general pattern, not a guarantee, and check your claim status directly rather than counting days.
Step 6: Manage an Approved Claim
Once approved, mySedgwick is where you track your remaining leave balance, report your intermittent absences if applicable, upload any follow-up documentation Sedgwick requests, and confirm your return-to-work date before your approved leave runs out.
Checking Your Sedgwick FMLA Status
Log in at mySedgwick.com and open your claim from the dashboard or "Claim Tracker." Sedgwick's own help materials describe three core statuses you'll see:
Pending — Sedgwick has your claim open and is still gathering or reviewing information
Approved — your leave has been designated as FMLA (or the applicable leave type)
Denied — your claim did not meet the requirements as submitted
Some employers layer additional, more specific status labels on top of these three (like "documentation needed" or "closed"), so don't be surprised if your portal shows slightly different wording than a claim guide describes — the underlying logic is the same.
Common Sedgwick FMLA Issues
"Sedgwick denied my FMLA claim"
The most common reasons a claim gets denied are incomplete medical certification (missing fields, missing diagnosis codes, or a provider signature), not meeting the federal eligibility test (12 months employed, 1,250 hours worked, employer with 50+ employees within 75 miles), a condition that doesn't meet the legal definition of a "serious health condition," or missing the certification deadline. Read the denial letter first — it states the specific reason. Then call Sedgwick to ask exactly what's missing and whether providing it now can reverse the decision; many certification-based denials are resolved once the paperwork is complete, without a formal appeal.
"Sedgwick is asking for more information"
This is a normal part of the process, not necessarily a bad sign. Respond as quickly as you can — delays here are one of the most common reasons an otherwise-qualifying claim takes longer than expected.
"My manager says I can't take this leave"
A manager's opinion doesn't decide FMLA eligibility. If you meet the federal test, the leave is a legal entitlement, and Sedgwick — not your manager — makes the determination. If a manager discourages you from filing or retaliates against you for taking approved FMLA leave, that can itself violate the law; the Department of Labor's FMLA page is the authoritative source on your rights.
"I can't log into mySedgwick"
Try the "Forgot Password" link first, then a different browser and a cleared cache. If the account issue persists, call the claims number your specific employer has on file — Sedgwick's support contact details vary by employer contract, so use the number from your own HR materials rather than a generic one.
Sedgwick FMLA vs. Sedgwick Short-Term Disability
Sedgwick frequently administers both FMLA and short-term disability (STD) for the same employer, and it's easy to assume filing one automatically covers the other. It doesn't. They're legally separate:
FMLA protects your job for up to 12 weeks — it doesn't pay you.
STD (where your employer offers it) can replace part of your wages during a qualifying medical absence — it doesn't, by itself, protect your job.
If you're out for your own serious health condition and your employer offers both, file both claims. Sedgwick can coordinate them once they're open, but it generally won't open a second claim type on your behalf just because the first one exists. For more on how pay works (or doesn't) during unpaid federal leave, see our guide to getting paid during FMLA.
Where Sedgwick's Process Ends and Federal FMLA Begins
It's worth keeping these separate in your head. Sedgwick's portal, forms, and internal deadlines are your employer's chosen process for administering leave — they can vary by company. The federal FMLA entitlement underneath it does not: up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave (26 weeks for military caregiver leave) if you've worked for a covered employer for 12 months, logged 1,250 hours in the past year, and work at a location with 50 or more employees within 75 miles. Sedgwick applies that federal test, but it doesn't set it — the law comes from the Department of Labor. For the full breakdown of who qualifies, see our FMLA eligibility guide, and for a general overview of the law itself, start with our FMLA hub page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sedgwick, exactly?
Sedgwick is a private, third-party claims administrator that companies hire to manage leave of absence, disability, and workers' compensation claims. It is not a government agency and has no independent authority over federal FMLA law — it applies your employer's policy and the federal eligibility rules on your employer's behalf.
How do I file an FMLA claim through Sedgwick?
Register or log in at mySedgwick.com, or call the claims number your employer provides in your handbook or benefits portal. You'll need your employee information, the reason for leave, your expected dates, and your health care provider's contact details if the leave is medical.
What is mySedgwick used for?
mySedgwick is Sedgwick's self-service portal. You can file a claim, upload medical certification and other documents, message your assigned claims examiner, and check your claim status and, if applicable, payment history — all without waiting for a letter in the mail.
How long does Sedgwick take to decide an FMLA claim?
Sedgwick doesn't publish one universal timeline, and the real answer depends heavily on how fast your provider returns complete certification. Some employer-specific guides describe a turnaround of a few business days once your paperwork is complete, but check your own claim status in mySedgwick rather than relying on a fixed number.
What documents does Sedgwick need for an FMLA claim?
At minimum, expect a medical certification form completed by your health care provider (sometimes with an authorization to release medical information). Depending on your employer's program, your provider may also need to include identifying codes like an NPI/TIN and diagnosis codes. Non-medical leave types, like military leave, typically require different supporting documents such as your orders.
Can my manager overturn a Sedgwick FMLA decision?
No. Your manager can't approve or deny FMLA — that determination belongs to Sedgwick's claims examiners, applying your employer's policy and the federal eligibility test. Your manager's role is limited to scheduling and workplace coverage.
What happens if Sedgwick denies my FMLA claim?
Read the denial letter for the specific reason, since most denials trace back to missing or incomplete certification, a missed deadline, or not meeting the eligibility test. Call Sedgwick to find out exactly what's missing — providing it can sometimes resolve the issue without a formal appeal. If you believe a denial violates your actual FMLA rights, the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division and an employment attorney are both resources worth using.
Does Sedgwick handle short-term disability too?
Often, yes, for employers who offer both. FMLA and STD are separate claims with separate purposes — FMLA protects your job, STD can replace part of your pay — so you generally need to file each one rather than assuming one covers the other.
Does every large employer use Sedgwick?
No. Sedgwick is one of several major leave and disability administrators (others include companies like Unum, MetLife, and Lincoln Financial), and plenty of large employers still handle FMLA in-house through their own HR departments. Check your employee handbook or benefits portal to confirm which applies to you.
If Sedgwick approves my leave, does that guarantee it's FMLA-protected?
Sedgwick's approval typically means your leave has been designated under whatever policy you applied for — which may be FMLA, a state leave law, a company leave policy, or some combination. Ask specifically whether your approval includes federal FMLA designation if that protection matters to you, since employer leave programs sometimes run broader (or narrower) than the federal law alone.
Can I check my Sedgwick FMLA status without an account?
Most Sedgwick-administered programs also let you check status or get updates by phone if you haven't registered a mySedgwick account, though you'll need your claim number or identifying information. Registering an account is generally faster once your claim is open, since you can see status changes as they happen instead of waiting for a call back.
What if I can't log into mySedgwick?
Start with the "Forgot Password" link, then try a different browser and clear your cache — login issues are usually one of these. If the problem continues, call the claims number specific to your employer (found in your handbook or benefits portal), since Sedgwick's contact points vary by employer contract rather than having one universal support line.
Key Takeaways
Sedgwick is a private administrator, not a government agency — it applies your employer's policy and federal FMLA rules, but doesn't create either.
File through mySedgwick.com or your employer's specific Sedgwick phone line — not through your manager.
Federal FMLA eligibility doesn't change: 12 months employed, 1,250 hours worked, 50+ employees within 75 miles, up to 12 weeks unpaid and job-protected.
Medical certification deadlines matter — 15 calendar days is the federal default, though some employer programs (like Walmart's) set their own window.
FMLA and short-term disability are separate claims — file both if you need both.
Your manager cannot approve, deny, or override a Sedgwick FMLA decision.
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