Benefits corner- HR leave policy changes

May 3, 2014 | Intercom

The final Policy Council public hearing for the semester is scheduled for Friday, May 9, 2014. Benefits Advisory Council reviewed several of the leave policies and procedures in conjunction with one another, resulting in the following revisions and aligning the language where appropriate for consistency. Updates were also made to indicate changes due to current practice.

Please refer to Mike Franklin’s email dated 4/26/14 for the detailed versions of changes. If you have any questions on these changes, email Carol Kasper before 5/9/14.

 

D-713.00 Health and Dental Benefit Policy

  • This policy allows an employee out on medical leave who has exhausted all paid leave and is still unable to return to work for medical reasons up to 12 months of medical coverage from the first day of the leave. Language has been added that if an employee acquires medical coverage elsewhere during this period, the College-provided COBRA coverage would end.
  • Changes were made to FMLA regulations to include certain leaves related to military reasons. These 2 FMLA entitlements are being added to this policy to meet the new provisions:
  • Up to 12 weeks of qualifying exigency time allowed if employee’s spouse, child, or parent is called to active duty.
  • Up to 26 weeks allowed if employee’s spouse, child, parent, or next of kin has a serious health condition incurred in the line of duty while on active duty.

D-722.00 Family Medical Leave Policy

 

D-722.01 Family Medical Leave Procedure

  • Language was added to reflect FMLA regulations about both parents working for the same employer.
  • FMLA regulations require that medical coverage be continued for the employee during the FMLA period. Language has been added to the procedure that other voluntary benefits may be continued as well with premiums deducted while the employee is on paid leave. The procedure is being changed to state this, as well as the fact that when returning to work, the employee will be required to repay any premiums not covered while on unpaid leave.
  • The employee will be required to pay the NMC share of benefits if he or she does not return to work, unless it is due to continuation of a serious health condition or other circumstances beyond their control, in accordance with federal regulations.

 

D-720.00 Sick Leave Policy

  • Language was changed to indicate current practice of accruing sick leave every pay instead of once per month.
  • Part-time regular employees are not currently eligible for leave under the Wage Continuation policy, but instead accrue extra leave time above their 3X annual limit to cover extended sick leaves up to 720 hours. This therefore only benefited PT employees who were here a minimum of 3 years when they could reach the 3X limit, while Wage Continuation benefits FT employees after 90 days.
  • Wage Continuation policy will now include PT regular employees (see D-721.00 below), and the maximum of 720 hours language has been removed.

 

D-720.01 Sick Leave Procedure

  • Language was changed to indicate the current practice of coordinating extended sick leave with Wage Continuation and FMLA and following those procedures.
  • Language was added to indicate the current practice of using accrued Sick Leave for Family Care Leave (renamed from Family Sickness/Emergency Leave).
  • Language was added to indicate the current practice of using accrued Sick Leave for Personal Business days.
  • Added language to indicate that that sick leave is also now approved through online timesheets to follow current practice.

 

D-721.00 Wage Continuation Policy

  • Part-time employees were not previously included in this benefit, but could only use accrued sick leave for extended medical leaves. This policy was enhanced to include part-time regular employees with prorated benefits based on their percent of appointment.
  • This change will now treat PT regular employees the same as FT regular employees, allow them to use this benefit after 90 days instead of using their entire sick leave balances, and it will lead to easier administration of leave accrual and payment for PT medical leaves.

 

D-721.01 Wage Continuation Procedure

  • This procedure follows the revised policy and was enhanced to include part-time regular employees with prorated benefits based on their percent of appointment.
  • Duplicate language was removed when it appeared elsewhere in the procedure.
  • Language regarding the College’s right to fill the employee’s position or determine if it will remain open was moved from the section “If the Employee is not Released to Work Upon Completion of the Total 180 Days of Absence” to “Continuing Certification Required”. This change was made because the return to the same or an equivalent job according to FMLA standards no longer applies beyond the 12-week FMLA period and this is the point during the leave when the department makes this decision.
  • After review of the usage of this policy, the title of the policy has been changed to “Family Care Leave Policy”. This term encompasses the need to care for family members due to sickness and in emergencies.
  • This policy was enhanced to allow employees to use their entire accrued sick leave as family care leave anytime they are approved for FMLA, not just to care for a sick family member. This opens it up for employees with a birth or adoption to also use this time if on an approved FMLA leave.

D-723.00 Family Sickness/Emergency Leave Policy / Family Care Leave Policy

 

D-726.00 Child Care Leave Policy

  • Language was changed to align with other leave policies, indicating eligibility after one year of successful employment.
  • Policy now indicates that child care may be provided for any adopted child under the age of 18, not just for infant children, in recognition of the needed adjustment period for older adopted children.
  • Language was changed to indicate the current practice of coordinating extended sick leave with Wage Continuation and FMLA and following those procedures.
  • Procedure language was deleted and moved to the procedure D-726.01 instead.
  • Procedural language was removed from policy D-726.00 and moved to this document.
  • Usage of various leaves was outlined in this procedure to allow employees to more easily understand the paid leave available to them.
  • Benefits coverage and their premium payments were more clearly outlined, including what occurs if employee is on unpaid leave and they move into a COBRA status.
  • Language was added to indicate that there is no guarantee of continued employment beyond the 12-week FMLA period, but every effort will be made to return the employee to employment.

D-726.01 Child Care Leave Procedure

 

D-729.00 Adoption Benefits

  • This policy was enhanced to include part-time regular employees with prorated benefits based on their percent of appointment. This change will now treat PT regular employees the same as FT regular employees, with the benefit prorated based on the appointment percent.
  • Language was changed to align with other leave policies, indicating eligibility after one year of successful employment.
  • The financial benefit for an adoption was increased from $2,500 to $4,000, based on the average employer amount stated in www.childwelfare.gov and www.americanadoptions.com websites.
  • The language in this policy was outdated and did not align with other current policies and procedures. In order to avoid duplication and inaccuracy, this policy now refers employees to the FMLA Policy and Procedure, Family Care Leave Policy, and Child Care Leave Policy and Procedure for details on using these benefits.