Major Medical Leave

Absences in excess of 32 hours require certification by an attending medical care provider. A department may request medical certification for an absence of any duration.

For purposes of this policy, immediate family is defined as your spouse, parent, stepparent, sibling, child, stepchild, grandchild, grandparent, son-in-law or daughter-in-law, father-in-law or mother-in-law, or brother-in-law or sister-in-law.

A child is defined as a biological, adopted or foster child, or a child for whom you stand or stood in place of a parent.

For purposes of this policy, immediate family is defined as your spouse, parent, stepparent, sibling, child, stepchild, grandchild, grandparent, son-in-law or daughter-in-law, father-in-law or mother-in-law, or brother-in-law or sister-in-law.

A child is defined as a biological, adopted or foster child, or a child for whom you stand or stood in place of a parent.

An employee who has a chronic medical condition may use Major Medical Leave for regularly scheduled visits to a doctor’s office or hospital once certification from a medical care provider is received by Human Resources.  

Eight hours first day illness (prorated for part-time employees) must be used prior to utilization of Major Medical Leave. This provision also applies to employees who are caring for an immediate family member with a chronic condition.  

An email will be provided to the employee and their supervisor, department head or chair confirming receipt of medical certification and approval for the use of intermittent medical leave.

When an exempt (salaried) employee is off work for an entire workday, they must have sufficient accrued leave to cover all hours not worked. If there are insufficient hours, the department must process a Form 3 to place the employee on Leave of Absence Without Pay for this time. Human Resources will manually reduce wages for unpaid hours. The Form 3 must be received by Human Resources before the last day of the pay period in which the unpaid day occurs.

For example:

• Example #1: A full-time employee is off work for a full day but only has 6 hours of accrued leave, the entire day will be unpaid.
• Example #2: A full-time employee works 3 hours but has 5 hours of accrued leave. In this scenario the employee may use 5 hours of leave because these hours combined with working time is equivalent to an 8 hour workday.

Yes. Employees who have accrued leave must use hours when absent from work.

Twelve-month employees who exhaust Major Medical Leave, will use accrued compensatory hours and Personal Leave for subsequent absences. If all accrued leave is exhausted, the employee will be placed on a Leave of Absence without Pay.

Nine-month faculty who exhaust Major Medical Leave, will be placed on a Leave of Absence without Pay.

It is critical  for a department to immediately process a Form 3 to place an exempt (salaried) employee on “Leave of Absence without Pay” status if the employee has exhausted leave to prevent the employee from being overpaid. The Form 3 must be received by Human Resources before the last day of the pay period in which the unpaid day occurs.

Nine-month faculty members will only use Major Medical Leave for absences during the academic year as this is the contract period. Leave should not be used during the summer months.