Unfortunately no.
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Friends,
My issue is resolved. Thanks for all your help and support. Here is some feedback for the community during this experience.
My company's lawyer told me until this issue gets resolved, I could take PTO even though EAD had already expired. Her argument was that the PTO can be legally earned even after your work status is expired considering that it is reimbursement for work that was done with valid status. The company gladly gave me the option to choose either, and I opted for UNPAID LEAVE (furlough) where other benefits would continue to avoid complications. Deductions for health related matters will be done in subsequent pay checks when I get back to work.
2) Jan 22: I submitted AC 21 and i693 medical RFE, and after a couple of days my i485 case got updated acknowledging the receipt.
3) Interestingly around the same time I got another RFE on my EAD Renewal case, this time for most recent photographs. I responded that paperwork.
4) Today, the EAD renewal case was updated - card is in production and I wait for the response.
So I did not go out of US and neither did I work from India or another country - I simply sat home, played a lot of Xbox (Don Bradman's cricket game, aced it already!) and binge watched Grey's Anatomy.
Glad to know that it worked out self.coach. Good lesson for all of us in approaching these matters calmly.