HR-Internal-05 Paid Parental Leave Guidelines

Effective: 8/19/16
Responsible Office: Office of Human Resources
Last Reviewed/Updated: Revision to Ten Days of Paid Family Leave Policy

Introduction

In order to assist and support new parents with balancing work and family matters, the UMass President’s Office is providing Paid Parental Leave (PPL). These guidelines provide eligible employees with a period of paid time off for activities related to the care and well-being of their newborn or adopted child.

Definitions

Parent - An eligible parent is defined as a birth mother, spouse, domestic partner, or a new adoptive parent who is the primary caregiver. An individual that adopts a spouse’s or partner's child(ren) is not eligible for this benefit. 

Primary Caregiver - A primary caregiver is defined as someone who has primary responsibility for the care of a child through birth or adoption.

FMLA - Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 entitles eligible employees to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave.

MMLA - Mass Maternity Law Act (also known as Parental Leave) applies to all parents, men and women, whose employers have six or more employees. Under the law, parents are eligible for 8 weeks of unpaid leave per child for the purpose of giving birth or for the placement of a child under the age of 18, or under the age of 23 if the child is mentally or physically disabled, for adoption.

Benefit

An eligible employee shall receive his/her salary for ten (10) days following the birth or adoption of a child.

The ten (10) days of paid parental leave granted under this section may be used on an intermittent basis over the twelve (12) months following the birth or adoption except that this leave may not be charged in increments of less than one (1) day. Where an eligible employee and his/her eligible spouse are both employees of the University, they shall jointly be entitled to a combined total of not more than ten (10) days paid under this provision. The amount of the benefit will be based upon current salary rate and determined by the full time equivalent (FTE) of the position. A "day" of parental leave is equal to a regularly scheduled day.

Eligibility

Employees that have been employed by the University for at least three (3) consecutive months are eligible for the Paid Parental Leave.

When employees have met the eligibility standards for FMLA and MMLA and request to use PPL, the leaves will run concurrently. PPL will be used to maintain the employee in paid status. PPL leave time directly reduces the employee's FMLA and MMLA balance, thereby reducing the amount of time the employee can be away from work for a serious health condition in a job-protected status. After the use of such PPL, if an employee has accrued personal time, sick time, or vacation time which he/she is eligible to use, he/she may use such leave. In any other instance, such leave will be without pay.

Employee Responsibility

When use of leave is anticipated, the employee must consult with his/her supervisor and provide written notice to the supervisor, division head and the Office of Human Resources as far in advance as possible. Ordinarily, in the case of a birth, this is no later than four months before the estimated due date. For other events, such as adoption, this is ordinarily 30 days’ advance notice when the leave is foreseeable.

An Eligible Employee must apply for FMLA by following the procedures outlined by Human Resources in the UMass President’s Office. 

An Eligible Employee will be required to furnish appropriate medical documentation for the birth of a child. If the Eligible Employee is eligible for FMLA or MMLA leave, the medical certification requirements will govern. The medical documentation will be completed and signed by the individual’s health care provider.

An Eligible Employee will be required to furnish appropriate adoption documentation, such as a letter from an adoption agency, or from the attorney in cases of private adoptions. 

An Eligible Employee must coordinate with supervisor/department head regarding workload during the absence.

Supervisor Responsibility

Ensure that the Office of Human Resources is notified of the impending leave.

Manage leave requests effectively to provide flexibility for individuals to use the leave when appropriate, while balancing remaining workloads within the department.