Parental Leave: APSCUF Employees

Parental Leave is an extended period of time away from work with benefits (without pay) to those employees who become parents through childbirth, adoption, or foster care placement.  

No unpaid parental leave may be granted beyond one (1) year from the date of birth, of assuming custody of an adopted child or of placement of a foster child.

Because pregnancy is a serious health condition, employees should request parental leave as soon as it is known it will be used.

1. Review the PASSHE FMLA Notice to Faculty and Employee Rights and Responsibilities under FMLA.
2. Complete the Request for FMLA Leave form. Please indicate plans for extended leave following the birth/adoption/foster care placement of the child, including amount of Annual Leave or Unpaid Leave to be used.
3. Have your healthcare provider complete the FMLA Employee Serious Health Condition Certification form. Note: Healthcare providers may charge a fee to complete forms necessary for FMLA certification.
4. Return both completed forms to the Office of Human Resources c/o Benefits Manager for review at least 30 days prior to your due date. A designation notice will be sent to you with approval determination and further instructions on leave continuation.
5. Submit a Release to Return to Work form from your healthcare provider to your supervisor and the Office of Human Resources upon release to return to work by your physician.
6. Entry into ESS is not required by the employee.

For adoption or foster care placement, Parental Leave begins once custody/placement begins, except when required for prior legal proceedings.

1. Review the PASSHE FMLA Notice to Faculty and Employee Rights and Responsibilities under FMLA.
2. Complete the Request for FMLA Leave form, signed by your dean and/or chair. Please indicate plans for extended leave following the birth/adoption/foster care placement of the child, including amount of Annual Leave or Unpaid Leave to be used.
3. Return the completed form to the Office of Human Resources c/o Benefits Manager for review at least 30 days prior to adoption/placement. A designation notice will be sent to you with approval determination and further instructions on leave continuation.
4. Entry into ESS is not required by the employee.

Yes—if approved by your supervisor and HR—Annual Leave can be used. This will not be covered by FMLA.

However, if your doctor finds it medically necessary for you to stop working prior to childbirth, this is considered Sick Leave. Employees with less than one (1) year of service may only request to use Sick Leave that has been earned to date. Employees with more than one (1) year of service may request to use Sick Leave that is expected to be earned in the current leave calendar year. Your doctor needs to provide medical documentation, which should be submitted to the Office of Human Resources.

For adoption or foster care placement, leave begins once custody/placement begins, except when required for prior legal proceedings.

1. If adding the child to your healthcare, the employee should complete the Medical Enrollment Change Form and bring it to the Office of Human Resources with the original birth certificate/adoption papers/foster care papers within 60 days of birth. 
2. To add voluntary group life coverage for your new child, complete the VGLI Enrollment form on the PASSHE VGLIP website.
3. For childbirth, submit updated medical documentation to the Office of Human Resources regarding your post-partum recovery period and expected release to return to full-time work date.

Remember: You may want to also update your beneficiary information for your basic group life insurance policy, voluntary group life insurance policy, and/or retirement accounts.

Yes—if approved by your dean/chair and HR—Annual Leave can be used. Once all Annual Leave is exhausted (Annual Leave not available for nine-month faculty), the remaining time off work will be unpaid leave. The remainder of approved 12 weeks of FMLA will apply.

Faculty are permitted to take up to six (6) months of parental leave without pay. At the discretion of the university, at the end of the initial six (6)-month parental leave without pay entitlement, an extension of parental leave without pay may be granted.

Subject to management's approval, faculty members may use leave in an intermittent or reduced time basis at any time before the initial six (6)-month parental leave without pay entitlement expires.

For more information on unpaid leave, please refer to the APSCUF Collective Bargaining Agreement, Article 18 Leaves of Absences/Section G: Parental Leave or Section H: Childrearing Leave or call the Office of Human Resources.