Interesting. I went to that site (US Dept of Health and Human Services) and it had a section specifically about HIPAA and how it relates to your employer asking you for a doctor's note. Here's what it says:
"Requests from your employer
The Privacy Rule does not prevent your supervisor, human resources worker or others from asking you for a doctor’s note or other information about your health if your employer needs the information to administer sick leave, workers’ compensation, wellness programs, or health insurance.
However, if your employer asks your health care provider directly for information about you, your provider cannot disclose the information in response without your authorization.
Covered health care providers must have your authorization to disclose this information to your employer, unless other laws require them to disclose it.
Generally, the Privacy Rule applies to disclosures made by your health care provider, not to the questions of your employer."
I'm no rocket scientist, but after reading that and some additional information on HIPAA, it sounds like the only way any of this would ever remotely even get close to a HIPAA violation would be if Delta went to my doctor directly and asked for my medical information and in turn my doctor gave that information, VFR direct, to Delta without first getting my permission. I don't see anything that prevents a doctor from giving me my medical information that I am requesting from him nor anything that prevents me from giving that information to anyone. I'm am by no means a fan of our sick verification, but the cry of HIPAA violation seems to be baseless.
How many people are in the department of pilot leaves? A department sounds like a big group, but I thought it only has like 3 people.