Contact Lorie Martin for faculty leave; and your DOHR Generalist for all other salary plans
FMLA is a federal law designed to provide “protected” unpaid leave to eligible* employees when leave is required due to “qualifying” events or conditions for either themselves or an immediate family member. FMLA defines immediate family member as the spouse, child, or parent of the employee. In concert with the healthcare provider, it is the University Central Leave team’s responsibility to determine whether an absence is considered FMLA-qualifying.
FMLA federal entitlement includes up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave over a 12-month period. The University of Florida’s policy is more generous and includes the ability to use accrued leave (not including overtime comp). For more information, visit benefits.hr.ufl.edu/time-away/fmla.
*Eligibility: Employee must have worked at UF for at least 12 months (need not be consecutive) and must have physically worked at least 1,250 hours in the 12 months preceding a request for FMLA leave and have not exhausted their current FMLA entitlement.
If an employee does not have enough accrued paid leave to stay in full pay status, benefit premium payments must be addressed by the employee. It is the employee’s responsibility to contact University Benefits at (352) 392-2477 to determine the minimum number of leave hours that must be used every pay period to cover deductions. If the employee does not have enough leave to pay premiums, the employee should make arrangements with the Benefits Office to make appropriate payments.
Paid Family Leave
UF provides 8 full weeks of leave (pro-rated for reduced FTE) to benefitted faculty and staff over a 24 month period for qualifying events to support improved work-life balance and to protect against income loss during major life events. These 8 weeks DO count against your FMLA entitlement. Employees are not required to exhaust their accrued leave in order to use this benefit. Employees can use this time in one of two ways:
- Parental – to cover absences related to parental leave (birth, adoption, fostering); available immediately upon hire
- Medical – a personal injury or illness or an immediate family member’s injury/illness; available after 12 months of continuous service; employee must cover first 10 days with their own leave before this is made available (in one-week increments)
The University’s leave policy generously guarantees a total of up to six months of absence for parental leave. Employees may use their personal accrued leave, unpaid leave, paid parental leave, or a combination of this leave to account for their absence. Parental leave may begin two weeks before the expected date of the child’s birth.
Eligibility
The first step would be for the employee or department HR administrator to submit an FMLA Preliminary Request Form. Submission of basic information through this portal will begin the process to determine the employee’s eligibility for FMLA protection. As a point of information, the second step in the process will be to determine the eligibility of the employee’s (or family member’s) condition for FMLA protection.
ePAF Submission
An ePAF to change employee status must be entered by department for all extended leaves of absence of 15 workdays or greater (except for sporadic leave). It is the department HR administrator’s responsibility to audit the employee’s time and ensure 100% accuracy PRIOR to submitting the return to work ePAF.
An update supervisor ID ePAF may be necessary for all individuals who report to the employee going on an extended leave of absence to temporarily assign a new supervisor. Please discuss with DOHR contact.
Forms
UFHR Central Leave and PHHP HR, upon determination of eligibility for FMLA, will communicate about necessary documentation. These forms may include:
- Certification of HealthCare Provider
- Extended Leave of Absence Form
- Intermittent Leave Application
- Return to Work Form
Helpful resources include:
PHHP 6/2022