Staff Leaves of Absence
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The University recognizes that it sometimes becomes necessary for a staff member to take extended time-off for family, medical, military, or for personal reasons. Pace University has paid and unpaid leave options available to our staff. If you are interested in taking a leave, you are encouraged to speak with your manager and the University Benefits office well in advance of the leave time. For more information about your benefits during a leave, please contact the University Benefits Office at (914) 923-2828 or via email at benefits@pace.edu.
For more information on paid leave options, click on the link below:
For more information on unpaid leave options, click on the link below:
Paid Leave Options
Bereavement
A paid leave of absence of four working days, is allowed in the event of a death in you or your spouse’s immediate family; grandparent, parent, sister, brother, spouse or child. An employee may request additional time without pay by seeking approval from his/her supervisor.
Jury Duty
Jury service is an important civic obligation. Employees are required to notify their supervisor if they receive a jury duty summons that will conflict with their assigned work schedule. If the scheduled jury duty date(s) falls within a peak period for the department, the immediate supervisor may deem it necessary for the employee to request a postponement.
In general, Pace employees will be paid their regularly scheduled work hours for each day of jury service. Employees covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement should consult the agreement for other applicable terms.
Employees should maintain daily contact with their supervisor while serving on jury duty. If excused before noon, they must work their scheduled hours for the rest of the day.
A receipt confirming the length of jury service should be obtained by the employee. A copy of this notice should be submitted to the supervisor and attached to the employee’s timesheet (where applicable) for record-keeping and payroll purposes.
Maternity
Maternity Disability shall be considered as falling within the category of leave for short-term disability, and is deducted from the total allowance of 26 weeks. A woman shall receive paid leave subject to verification by a physician for a period distributed in accordance with need before and/or after childbirth or miscarriage. This period is usually six weeks for a normal delivery and eight weeks for a cesarean section.
The University provides salary and benefits continuation to our full time employees as indicated below:
| Length of Full Time Service at Time of Disability | Salary and Benefits Continuation |
|---|---|
| Less than 3 Months | No salary or benefits continuation. Eligible for the NYS Disability benefit only. |
| 3-12 Months | First two (2) months – full base salary, Up to four (4) additional months – one-half salary |
| 12 Months and Over | Full base salary and benefits up to 26 weeks within a 52-week period |
Military
Pace University supports the rights and obligations of its employees to serve in the Armed Forces of the United States. The Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) of 1994, provides for job and benefits protection for an individual who has left his or her job to enter service in the uniformed services of the United States. It also prohibits discrimination in the hiring, promotion, reemployment termination and benefits of an individual on the basis of their membership in the uniformed services.
Eligibility
Full time and part time faculty and staff are eligible for military leave up to a maximum of 5 years.
Notice
To qualify for the benefits and rights governed under USERRA, employees should notify their supervisors and their campus Human Resources Services department, in writing, at least 4 weeks in advance of the leave, unless notice is precluded by military necessity or it is impossible or unreasonable to give such notice. Notice should be accompanied by the employee’s military orders for such a leave.
Compensation
A full time staff employee may use vacation days accrued and unused prior to the commencement of military service. Effective January 1, 2003, for any leave taken for military service, an employee with more than one year of continued service at the University will be compensated for the difference between his or her regular University base pay and military pay while on military leave according to the following schedule:
- 1 to 2 years of continued University service: 2 weeks pay differential
- 2 to 4 years of continued University service: Up to 4 weeks of pay differential
- 4 to 7 years of continued University service: Up to 6 weeks of pay differential
- 7 to 10 years of continued University service: Up to 9 weeks of pay differential
- 10 or more years of continued University service: Up to 12 weeks of pay differential
In order to receive a pay differential, the employee must present a certified government accounting of compensation to their campus Human Resources Services department within 14 days of returning to work.
Benefits
Health and Dental (applicable to full time faculty and staff)
Full employee benefits will continue for a military leave that does not exceed thirty days. Employees are not required to pay more than the employee share, if any, for such coverage.
If the military leave time exceeds 30 days, your health and dental benefits will continue one month for every two years of continuous University service. The employee is not required to pay more than the employee share, if any, for such coverage.
Employees may then elect to continue coverage under Pace’s group medical and dental plan, at their own expense, for up to 18 months during a military leave. Employees on leave for more than 30 days will not pay more than 102% of the full premium under the plan if they wish to continue coverage under the group medical and dental plan.
Retirement
Pace University will not make any contributions to your retirement plan while you are on military leave. However, once you return from military duty and are re-employed, your period of military duty will be counted as covered service for eligibility, vesting and benefit accrual purposes. If employee contributions are required, the employee has a period equal to three times the period of military duty or 5 years, whichever ends first, to make up the contributions. Pace University will then make contributions that would have been made if you had been employed during the period of military duty.
On-Campus Tuition
Eligibility for on-campus tuition remission benefits for a spouse/domestic partner and dependent children will continue based upon the following schedule:
- Less than 2 years of continued University service: End of the current semester
- 2 to 5 years of continued University service: One additional academic year
- 5 to 10 years of continued University service: Two additional academic years
- 10 or more years of continued University service: Three additional academic years
Reinstatement
An employee is responsible for seeking reemployment upon returning from military leave by contacting the Office of Human Resources and the employee’s immediate supervisor.
If military leave is less than 31 days, reemployment must be sought within the “first scheduled work day” following the completion of service.
Pace University reserves the right to request that an employee who is absent for a period of military service in excess of 30 days provide documentation showing:
- Employee’s application for re-employment is timely as governed by USERRA
- Employee’s cumulative period of absence from the University for military leave has not exceeded the five year service limitation; and
- Employee’s discharge from service was “honorable” as defined by USERRA.
Upon satisfactory completion of the above conditions, Pace University will reinstate eligible employees according to the reemployment requirements governed by USERRA.
There are certain exceptions to the requirement to re-employ a returning service member which include:
- The University’s circumstances have so changed as to make such reemployment impossible or unreasonable;
- The individual has incurred a disability or aggravated a disability during such service, and after reasonable effort to accommodate the disability, is no longer qualified due to such disability and cannot be re-qualified and rehired without imposing an undue hardship upon the University; or
- The original employment was short term with no reasonable expectation of continued employment.
For further information, contact the University Benefits department at (914) 923-2828.
For additional information about the Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) of 1994 please visit the Department of Labor website.
Approved by President David A. Caputo, May 27, 2003
Unpaid Leave Options
Family and Medical Leave
For many workers in this country, the Family and Medical Leave Act (which took effect in August 1993) represents a major change. They no longer fear losing their jobs if they take time off for the birth or adoption of a child, for their own serious illness, or for the serious health condition of a family member.
Since Pace University employees have already had the opportunity to use accrued paid leave, or to request unpaid leave, for childbirth, adoption, and family illness, the new federal law does not significantly change our leave policies. It does, however, require the University to maintain accurate records of an employee's use of family/medical leave, which is defined as any leave (paid or unpaid) for a reason covered by the law.
Reliance Matrix is the administrator for both Short-Term Disability leave and for Family and Medical Leave. (If a Short-Term Disability claim is medically certified, it will also count as time taken under the Family and Medical Leave Act.) Please contact the University Benefits office, on or before your first day of absence, to discuss the expected duration of your disability leave. In addition, please contact Reliance Matrix at 1 (877) 202-0055, to file a claim.
- How to File a Leave of Absence or a Disability Claim (PDF)
- How to file a Short-term Disability or FMLA Claim (PDF)
- Employee Rights and Responsibilities Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (PDF)
- Family and Medical Leave Act Policy (PDF)
Personal
Employees who have at least one year of service may request a personal leave without pay for a maximum of 6 months. Personal leave may be granted for reasons such as:
- Parental obligations
- Family matters
- Community service
- Education or training
For leaves due to serious health conditions or the birth or adoption of a child, or for other reasons that are covered by the Family Medical Leave Act and/or New York Paid Family Leave, employees are required to exhaust their leave time under the Family and Medical Leave Act and/or New York Paid Family Leave before requesting a personal leave of absence.
Requests for a personal leave must be made in writing to the supervisor at least 30 days in advance of the proposed leave date and should include the reasons for the request. When reviewing the request, supervisors will consider the department's operating needs as well as the employee's job performance and length of service.
For leaves of less than one calendar month the University normally guarantees the individual a return to the same position. For leaves that extend beyond one calendar month, the University cannot guarantee that the employee will return to the same position. If it is necessary to fill the position permanently while the employee is on personal leave, the University will make a reasonable effort to assist the employee in locating another position at the University.