Objective To evaluate if the times of sick leave due to temporary disability related to a non-work-related illness (NWRI) depends on whether or not the workers have required a vocational rehabilitation.

Method Historical cohort study of university workers in São Paulo, Brazil, between 2010 and 2015. Data were obtained from work institutional databases that recorded personal, occupation, physician’s examination and vocational rehabilitation data. The Charlson Comorbidity Index was obtained from medical history according to the most prevalent diagnoses in each physician’s assessment report and respective sick leave episode duration. Associations between variables were analyzed by simple and multiple Cox regression models.

Results Depressive disorders, convalescences and back pain were responsible for 70% of all sick leaves due to non-work-related conditions that caused temporary disability. Follow-up time was decreased when the number of NWRI per worker increases, follow-up times until readaptation between 4 and 320 days and great variability within the same disease. The CCI weight was of 0 in 96.2% of sick leaves. In the Cox model, the number of physician’s examinations (HR=0.96), non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (HR=0.40) and primary essential hypertension (HR=0.29) were found to be significant protective factor for sick leave duration until vocational rehabilitation. Recurrent depressive disorders (HR=1.5), conjunctivitis (HR=2.78), acute sinusitis (HR=4.99), skin conditions (HR=3, 80), back pain (HR=1.62), kidney and ureter calculus (HR=2.31), pelvic abdominal pain (HR=2.33) and falls at the same level (HR=3.71) were risk factors to longer sick leave duration until vocational rehabilitation.

Conclusion When there was more medical assessment during the period of sick leave the times were reduced and some diseases such as upper airways, eyes and skin, pain and depression require longer times until vocational rehabilitation.