Parental Leave for Faculty and Staff

Leave Management

301-405-0001

umdleave@umd.edu
 

What is Parental Leave?

Parental Leave is intended to support faculty and staff in balancing professional and family demands before, during, and after the addition of children to the family by birth, adoption, foster care placement, and/or legal guardianship through a combination of measures to promote a family-friendly environment.

What does Parental Leave provide and how does it help me?

For Staff:

• A continuous paid leave assurance period of up to 12 weeks during the 6-month period surrounding birth or placement inclusive of any available annual, personal, holiday, and/or administrative leave, and supplemental paid parental leave (referred to as “Assured Parental Leave”) provided by the institution.
• Sick leave may not be used during the paid leave assurance period to ensure employees will have a form of paid leave available for use upon their return to work.
• Supports for nursing mothers to include locations on campus where they may breastfeed or express milk.
• Protections against discrimination or experiencing reprisals.

For Faculty:

• A continuous paid leave assurance period of up to 12 weeks during the 6-month period surrounding birth or placement inclusive of any available annual, personal, holiday, and/or administrative leave, and supplemental paid parental leave (referred to as “Assured Parental Leave”) provided by the institution.
• Sick leave may be used as part of the 12-week paid leave assurance period in combination with other forms of paid leave at the faculty member’s discretion;
• Modified Duty Family Support Plan for instructional and non-instruction faculty;
• Extension of time for tenure/permanent status review;
• Supports for nursing mothers to include locations on campus where they may breastfeed or express milk;
• Protections against discrimination and experiencing reprisals.

For Staff:

• Regular exempt and non-exempt staff with at least six months of continuous UMD service;
• Appointments of  50% FTE or greater;
• Must be acting as the child’s primary caregiver during the leave period;
• May only be used on one occasion in a 12-month period, and up to three separate occasions during employment with the USM irrespective of job category;
• Must have a satisfactory record of sick and safe leave usage and satisfactory work performance;
• Must be taken in one continuous block of time.

For Faculty:

• Full time and part time tenured and tenure-track faculty, professional track faculty, and all librarian faculty;
• Appointments of50% FTE or greater;
• UMD service requirement:
  • 9-month faculty – at least one semester
  • 12-month faculty –at least six continuous months
• Must be acting as the child’s primary caregiver during the leave period;
• May only be used on one occasion in a 12-month period, and up to three separate occasions during employment with the USM;
• Must be taken in one continuous block of time.

How are my benefits impacted while I am on Parental Leave?

Eligible employees shall remain eligible for all health care benefits they enjoyed immediately prior to the start of their Parental Leave.

Will I continue to accrue my annual leave and sick leave while I am on Parental Leave?

You will continue to accrue annual and sick leave while you are on Parental Leave.  However, as you accrue annual leave, it will be applied to your timesheet every pay period before the paid form of parental leave is applied.

Is it possible to space out my Parental Leave instead of taking all 12 weeks at once?

No, Parental Leave must be taken in one continuous block of time.

How does the Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) interact with the Parental Leave policy?

Parental Leave runs concurrently with Family & Medical Leave (FML). That means when you take Parental Leave, you are also using your available FML entitlement at the same time. FML is an unpaid benefit that provides job and benefit protections while Parental Leave ensures you remain in a paid status for the duration of the approved parental leave period. 

Am I required to take Family & Medical Leave concurrently with Paid Parental Leave?

Yes, if you are eligible for FML, both Parental Leave and FML shall run concurrently.  Employees should submit an FML request along with their Parental Leave Request to the UHR Leave Management team via the umdleave@umd.edu email address.

If I am eligible for FML, can I stack FML and Parental Leave so I can take more than 12 weeks of leave?

No, you may not stack your FML and Parental Leave benefit to take more than 12 weeks of leave.

Can I use my sick leave while taking Parental Leave to care for/bond with my newborn or adopted/foster-placed child?

Staff may not use sick leave.  Faculty are not required to use accrued sick leave as part of their approved Parental Leave period, but may elect to do so in combination with other forms of paid leave to which they are entitled.

Why would a faculty member use accrued sick leave while taking Parental Leave?

Faculty members with significant accrued annual leave balances who are only requesting Parental Leave for the purpose of implementing a Modified Duty Family Support plan or an extension of time for tenure/permanent status review may want to use their sick leave in combination with other forms of paid leave.

Can my manager deny my request for Parental Leave or ask me to delay my leave?

No. Your manager may not deny your request for parental leave or ask you to delay your parental leave.

What are my options if I am not eligible for Parental Leave, but need to take time off work for the addition of children to my family by birth, adoption, foster parenting, and/or legal guardianship?

In some instances you may be eligible for Family Medical Leave. In addition, under the University’s Faculty and Staff Sick and Safe Leave policies, sick and safe leave may be used to care for a child within six months from the birth or placement of a child for adoption.

My spouse and I are both employed by UMD. Are we both eligible for Parental Leave?

Yes, both parents are eligible for up to 12 weeks of Parental Leave.  They may concurrently use   accrued sick, annual, personal, compensatory and/or holiday leave at the same time. However, only one parent at a time, the parent who is acting as the primary caregiver, may use the paid form of parental leave. 

Can a person donate their paid Parental Leave to another individual? Spouse? Partner?

No.  UMD does not have a leave donation program.

What is a Modified Duty Family Support Plan?

A Modified Duty Family Support Plan allows faculty members to reduce or modify their institutional work duties without a reduction in salary and is intended to assure that continuity in student instruction and other critical faculty duties is not disrupted.  Modified duties are neither required nor expected during the 12-week period you are on Parental Leave.

Am I eligible for the benefits of a Modified Duty Family Support Plan?

All faculty who are eligible for Parental Leave are eligible for the benefits of a Modified Duty Family Support Plan, subject to terms and conditions outlined in Section III.C.1-3 of the Faculty Parental Leave Policy.

How do I request a Modified Duty Family Support Plan.

A written memorandum of understanding documenting the Modified Duty Family Support Plan should be developed jointly by the faculty member and department chair or designee.  In non-departmentalized Colleges, the plan should be developed jointly by the faculty member and the dean or designee. 

Can I request an extension of time for Tenure/Permanent Status review if I eligible for Parental Leave?

Yes. Eligible tenure-track faculty or faculty members eligible for permanent status will automatically be granted a 1-year extension of the deadline for review by the Provost, upon mandatory written notification by the faculty member’s department in accordance with UMD’s Policy on Extension of Time for Tenure Review Due to Personal and Professional Circumstances . Important:   You must apply and receive approval for the extension via the Office of Faculty Affairs. 

How many extensions of time for Tenure/Permanent Status review can a faculty member request? A second automatic extension will be granted as long as the total number of extensions does not exceed two.

What type of documentation is needed to apply for Parental Leave?

Documentation confirming the date of birth or placement should be submitted within one week of the event to the UHR Leave Management team via the umdleave@umd.edu email address.

When should I be requesting Parental Leave?

It is recommended that you submit your Parental Leave Request once you have decided on a leave plan e.g. you are able to identify an anticipated start and end date for your leave.  Please ensure you obtain all applicable signatures on the request form prior to submitting it to the UHR Leave Management team via the umdleave@umd.edu email address.

Where do I submit documentation related to my request for Parental Leave?

All documentation related to your Parental Leave Request must be submitted directly to the UHR Leave Management team using the umdleave@umd.edu email address. Documentation should not be submitted to your manager and/or department.

How do I add my newborn or child placed for adoption to my benefits?

If you need to add your new dependent to your benefit plans, you will need to log into the Online Benefits System portal to initiate the benefits election change and upland required documentation.  Qualifying life event changes must be made within 60 days of the qualifying event.