The Family and Medical Leave Act helps to protect your job when time is needed away from work for a qualifying event. More information below and on the University System of Georgia website can help you determine if this leave is the right choice for you.
Family & Medical Leave Act
Any employee (including part-time and temporary) of the University System of Georgia, who has been employed by the University of Georgia for at least twelve months total (not necessarily the last twelve months), and has worked at least 1,250 hours during the 12-month period immediately preceding the leave is eligible to be granted family leave for conditions authorized by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Eligible employees with a qualifying event may receive up to 12 workweeks of FMLA within a rolling 52 week calendar period. While FMLA itself is unpaid, it runs concurrently with an employee’s leave balances or voluntary income replacements.
More information can be found on the University System of Georgia website.
Beginning Tuesday, March 14, 2023, eligible faculty and staff will have the option to request Vacation in Lieu of Sick as a leave type when submitting extended leave requests, which will enable the requestor to use their Vacation Leave balance prior to their Sick Leave balance for qualifying extended leave events. Click here to learn more about how each leave type is deducted using the Cascading Leave Rules.
Eligibility
Qualifying life events include:
- The employee’s own serious health condition, including an on-the-job injury or occupational disease covered by Worker’s Compensation, which causes the employee to be unable to perform the functions of his or her job.
- The care of an immediate family member with a serious health condition
- The birth and care of a newborn child
- The legal placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care
- A spouse, son, daughter or parent being on active duty or having been notified of an impending call or order to active duty in the Armed Forces. Leave may be used for any “qualifying exigency” arising out of the service member’s current tour of active duty or because the service member is notified of an impending call to duty in support of a contingency operation.
Eligibility is contingent upon the employee meeting the following criteria:
- Any employee (including part-time and temporary) of the University System of Georgia, who has been employed by the University of Georgia for at least twelve months total (not necessarily the last twelve months), AND
- Has worked at least 1,250 hours during the 12-month period immediately preceding the leave.
Conditions
- Eligible employees with a qualifying event may receive up to 12 workweeks of FMLA within a rolling 52 week calendar period
- Must provide adequate documentation of qualifying life event
- May be used on a continuous or intermittent basis
- FMLA itself is unpaid, it runs concurrently with an employee’s leave balances or voluntary income
Request Process
If an employee has any one of the qualifying events mentioned above, they should submit a request for extended leave through OneUSG Connect Employee Self-Service.
Resources
Requesting an Extended Absence Request
Department of Labor FMLA Website
Questions? Contact [email protected] or (706) 542-2222