Support Staff Policies & Procedures

Support Staff Parental Leave for APA, APSA and CTU Members Policy & Procedure

Last Updated 12/03/2023

Policy

Beginning July 1, 2023, this policy provides eligible employees a maximum of six (6) weeks of paid parental time off for birth, adoption, or placement of a child/children into a household.

Applies To:

Full Time (90%+) employees represented in the bargaining units APA, APSA, and CTU, confidential and non-union APA, APSA, CTU, EXPA, regular 274, ASRA, Nurses.

Eligibility

• Have been continuously employed with Michigan State University, on a full-time basis, for at least 24 consecutive months prior to commencement of the leave
• Have worked at least 1,250 hours during the 12 consecutive months immediately preceding the date the leave would begin
• Be a full- time regular employee (part-time, temporary employees, and on call are not eligible for this benefit)
• Meet one of the following:
• Be the parent of a newborn child and to care for the newborn child; or
• Be the parent of a child under the age of 18, that is newly added to the household through adoption, legal guardianship, or foster care.
• This policy applies to a child that is newly added to the household through adoption, guardianship, or foster care and not a child who is already a member of the household. MSU reserves the right to require documentation to justify a newly added child.
• An employee will not receive more than six (6) weeks of paid parental leave in any twelve-month period, regardless of whether more than one birth, adoption, guardianship, or foster placement occurs.
• In situations where the University employs both parents of a newborn/adopted child as eligible support staff, each may have the stated amount of paid parental leave under this policy. Parents employed in the same department or unit should plan the timing of their leaves in consultation with the chairperson, director, manager, supervisor, or dean.

General Information

Time Frame and Compensation:

• Paid parental leave is compensated at 100 percent of the employee's regular, base pay. Paid parental leave will be paid on regularly scheduled payroll dates.
• Paid parental leave is intended to be taken as a single, continuous block of time.
• Paid parental leave shall be taken, and completed, within twelve (12) months of the qualifying event.
• Paid parental leave must be used upon commencement of the leave, or for birthing parents, at the time of the birth. Other applicable quotas may be applied, following the paid parental leave, prior to the leave of absence becoming unpaid.
• Upon termination of the individual's employment at Michigan State University, the employee will not be paid for any unused paid parental leave for which they were eligible.

Coordination With Other Policies:

• Paid parental leave taken under this policy will run concurrently with leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA); the time off will be counted toward the 12 weeks of available FMLA. All other requirements and provisions under the FMLA will apply. In no case will the total amount of leave, whether paid or unpaid, that is granted to the employee under the FMLA exceed 12 weeks during the 12-month FMLA period. Please refer to the family and medical leave policy for further guidance on the FMLA.
• Upon a child’s birth, the birthing parent must begin a qualifying medical leave of absence by using available paid parental leave. Once paid parental leave is exhausted, the birthing parent may then use sick quotas. If sick quotas are exhausted, it is optional to use vacation, personal, or personal observance quotas prior to becoming unpaid.
• If the birthing parent is placed on a medical leave of absence before the child’s birth, then the birthing parent must begin a qualifying medical leave of absence by using available sick quotas. If sick quotas are exhausted, it is optional to use vacation, personal, and/or personal observance quotas prior to becoming unpaid, if the birthing parent has not yet given birth.
• If quotas are exhausted, and the parent has given birth, then paid parental leave must be exhausted before beginning unpaid leave of absence.
• Per MSU’s sick time policy, birthing parents could qualify for an additional four (4) weeks of maternity leave. Sick leave quotas may not be used to cover this time; the employee may use vacation, personal, personal observance, or unpaid time. Please see the support staff sick time policy for further details.
• Upon a child’s birth, non-birthing parents, must begin their leave of absence by using paid parental leave. Once parental leave is exhausted, they may use family sick quotas. If family sick is exhausted, it is optional to use vacation, personal, and/or personal observance quotas, prior to becoming unpaid.
• Upon placement of a child via either adoption, guardianship, or foster care, parent must begin their leave of absence by using paid parental leave. Once parental leave is exhausted, they may use family sick, vacation, personal, and /or personal observance quotas, prior to becoming unpaid.
• Michigan State University will maintain all employer paid benefits for which employees are eligible during the paid parental leave period. Employees will remain responsible for any employee premiums, contributions, or other required costs.
• If a university holiday occurs while the employee is on paid parental leave, such day will be charged to holiday pay; however, such holiday pay will not extend the total paid parental leave entitlement.
• An employee who takes paid parental leave that does not qualify for FMLA leave will be afforded the same level of job protection for the period of time that the employee is on paid parental leave as if the employee were on FMLA-qualifying leave.

Procedure

Employee:

• An employee must provide his/her department at least 30 days advance notice before parental leave is to begin if leave is foreseeable. If leave is not foreseeable, notice must be given as soon as possible.
• The employee must contact MSU Human Resources to initiate a request for FMLA and/or Parental Leave and to receive the forms that are required to be completed for certification. Employees may request FMLA and/or parental leave via the AbsenceTracker tile on the EBS portal.
• The certification forms are due back within 15 calendar days of the date that they are distributed. Failure to return the completed documentation may result in denial of leave.
• Notify MSU Human Resources when an approved employee begins parental leave, to make sure pay and time entry is continued.
• Notify MSU Human Resources when you return from parental leave, to make sure employee status in EBS is correct and accurate.

Department:

• Notify MSU Human Resources when an approved employee begins parental leave, to make sure pay and time entry is continued.
• MSU Human Resources will administer all necessary leave and time entry in EBS.
• Notify MSU Human Resources when an employee off on parental leave returns from leave, to make sure employee status in EBS is correct and accurate.
• A department may not use absences that qualify as FMLA leave as a negative factor in employment actions.
• To preserve an employee's privacy, supervisors must ensure all relevant conversations are kept confidential, and documentation is forwarded to the MSU Human Resources office so it can be maintained in a confidential file, separate from personnel records.

MSU Human Resources:

• MSU Human Resources will determine if the employee is eligible for parental leave.
• The employee will be provided the applicable form(s) for completion. The employee will be allowed 15 calendar days to complete and submit the documentation for review.
• Depending on the circumstances of parental leave, various outside documentation may be required to substantiate leave. Examples of documentation that may be required will be addressed in the FAQs.
• Approved employees will be notified in writing of their approval, with the employee’s supervisor and unit human resources professional (if applicable) copied.
• MSU Human Resources will perform all necessary record and time processing in EBS during parental leave.
• Once parental leave is exhausted, MSU Human Resources will process all subsequent actions in EBS until employee has returned to work.

Return To Work:

• MSU Human Resources or the department may require an employee to report periodically on his/her status and intent to return to work.
• An employee needs to notify MSU Human Resources in writing of return to work date at least two business days in advance but does not need to provide a note from health care provider.

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