> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.planmyrounds.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Why wasn't a doctor's leave respected?

> Check leave status, approval timing, and shift-to-avoid preferences when a doctor was scheduled despite requesting time off.

**1. Was the leave Approved, not just submitted?**

Only **Approved** leave excludes a doctor from scheduling. **Pending** and **Rejected** entries have no effect on generation. Check the entry's status under [Leave Applications](https://www.planmyrounds.com/docs/leave/overview.md#leave-statuses).

**2. Was it approved before or after the roster was generated?**

The engine only applies approved leave that exists **at the moment it generates**. If leave is approved after a roster is already generated or published, that roster is **not automatically updated** — see [What can still change, and when](https://www.planmyrounds.com/docs/duty-plan-lifecycle.md#what-can-still-change-and-when). You'll need to [edit the roster manually](https://www.planmyrounds.com/docs/rosters/editing-a-published-roster.md) or regenerate it.

**3. Was it a shift to avoid, not leave?**

A [shift to avoid](https://www.planmyrounds.com/docs/leave/applying-for-leave.md#mark-shifts-to-avoid) is a **soft preference** — the engine tries to honour it, but may still assign the doctor if there's no other way to produce a valid schedule. This is expected behaviour, not a bug. If a doctor needs a hard guarantee, that needs to be submitted as leave instead.

**4. Was the leave later reversed or removed?**

An approved entry can be changed to **Rejected**, or cancelled entirely (**Removed**), after the fact. Check the entry's current status and its history if your organisation tracks comments on decisions. See [Approving and rejecting leave requests](https://www.planmyrounds.com/docs/leave/approval-workflow.md#change-a-decision-later).

## Next steps

> **[Approval workflow](https://www.planmyrounds.com/docs/leave/approval-workflow.md)**
>
> How admins review and decide on leave requests.

> **[Roster constraints](https://www.planmyrounds.com/docs/rosters/roster-constraints.md)**
>
> Hard vs. soft constraints, including approved leave and shifts to avoid.


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.