Disability Coverage and Leave Management
We understand situations may arise that require employees to be away from their jobs for an extended period beyond the regular accrued time off allowance. In this case, employees may be eligible to take a leave of absence. Federal and/or state laws govern the eligibility requirements, benefit entitlements, and reinstatement provisions surrounding many types of leaves. Where there is a conflict between the Company’s policy and applicable law, the applicable law shall govern.
There are other types of leave available, in addition to what is described here. Please refer to the policies on HR4You.
Note: While on any type of leave:
Conditions apply to all forms of leave. For more information, see the leave of absence policies and leave law notices posted on HR4You.
You May Be Eligible for More Than One Type of Leave at a Time
Some types of leave may run concurrently. For example, Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) runs concurrently with Short-Term Disability, Workers’ Compensation, Parental Leave and other State Leaves. In addition, many states have leave laws that coordinate with our programs. For questions about eligibility, please contact Sun Life Financial, our leave administrator, at 1-833-812-5184.
In addition to the leaves of absence described here, the Company offers:
Coming Jan. 1, 2025
Wellthy: Support When You Need a Leave of Absence
Wellthy’s care experts can help ease the burden of the administrative and logistical tasks that come with taking a leave. They’ll help you:
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides unpaid job protection for certain types of absences. State and federal laws allow FMLA for various reasons. Because an employee’s rights and obligations may vary depending upon the reason for the FMLA, it is important to identify the purpose or reason for the leave.
Federal FMLA may be used for:
Eligibility
To be eligible for FMLA benefits, you must have worked for the Company for at least 12 months and have worked at least 1,250 hours over the previous 12 months as of the start of the leave.
The Company will grant FMLA in accordance with the requirements of applicable state and federal laws in effect at the time the leave is granted. Although the federal and state laws sometimes have different names, the Company refers to these types of leaves collectively as “FMLA Leave.” In certain situations, the federal law requires that provisions of state law apply. In any case, employees will be eligible for the most generous benefits available under applicable law.
Leave Length
Unless otherwise provided in a collective bargaining agreement, other applicable law, and/or as otherwise provided in this policy, the maximum amount of FMLA will be twelve (12) work weeks in a 12-month period. The Company utilizes a rolling 12-month period to track the 12-month period. The rolling 12-month period is measured backwards from the date of any FMLA usage and is capped at 12 weeks of FMLA during that period for these purposes. FMLA is an unpaid leave of absence unless it runs concurrently with an approved paid leave. Not all leaves may qualify for the maximum 12 weeks. For full policy details, please visit HR4You.
Short-Term Disability (STD) provides for continuation of your base pay for up to 26 weeks from the date that you become disabled due to eligible illness or injury, or if you are having a baby. The Company pays the full cost of this benefit, and you are automatically enrolled upon your date of hire.
If you become disabled, benefits begin after a seven-day waiting period and offer coverage of:
After 26 weeks, you may be eligible for Long-Term Disability (LTD) benefits.
Eligibility
All full-time and part-time employees working 24 or more hours per week.
Long-Term Disability (LTD) benefits may be available after the 26 weeks of Short-Term Disability salary continuation. Once approved, LTD benefits are provided to eligible employees up to a maximum monthly benefit of $15,000 and are payable up to your normal Social Security retirement age or until you are no longer deemed disabled. LTD benefits are paid to you by Sun Life Financial, our leave administrator.
Two types of LTD benefits are available to employees:
Important Note on Taxes
The cost of employer-paid LTD coverage will be added to your income and you will be taxed on it (this is called imputed income). If any future Basic LTD or Buy-Up LTD (which you purchase on an after-tax basis) benefits are paid to you, you won’t be taxed when you receive them because you have already paid taxes on the premiums.
The Company provides seven (7) weeks of paid leave for birth mothers, spouses and domestic partners of birth mothers, and adoptive or foster parents in connection with the birth of a child, adoption, or placement of a child in the employee’s household.
Please note: For birth mothers, this leave is in addition to the STD pay you are eligible for, which is a minimum of eight (8) weeks of salary continuation. Employees must take the time in a minimum of one week increments and in no more than two occurrences (i.e., 1 week then 7 weeks, or 2 weeks then 6 weeks). Requests to initiate a leave must be made with Sun Life Financial.
Review Path to Parenthood for more information on Parental Leave.
The Company Offers Adoption and Surrogacy Benefits
The Company offers adoption and surrogacy assistance, which reimburses you up to $5,000 (increasing to $10,000 in 2025!) for eligible expenses for the adoption or surrogate birth of each child. For more information, please contact HR4You at 855-444-5678 or see the policy posted on HR4You.
The Company recognizes that employees often balance work obligations with providing care for their families. Paid caregiver leave provides eligible employees with up to two weeks (increasing to seven weeks in 2025!) of paid leave to support them while meeting family obligations outside the workplace.
This benefit is available when you’re providing care for a relative as defined by the Family and Medical Leave Act.
The Company allows eligible employees time off from work, job protection, and benefits coverage (beginning in 2025, coverage will be available for up to three years!) while serving in the Uniformed Services, consistent with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (“USERRA”) and applicable state law. Employees are eligible under USERRA to return to work if they meet certain criteria. For full policy details, please visit HR4You.
In addition to time off permitted under paid leave policies, employees may also take time away from work to attend to personal needs not covered by other time off policies. With manager approval, Unpaid Personal Leave may be requested for up to ninety (90) days in any 52-week period. Employees who request this leave must take the leave as one (1) continuous period. You will not accrue vacation during Personal Leave. Requests for Personal Leave must be made to Sun Life Financial at least thirty (30) days prior to the start of the leave.
The Company recognizes the occasional need for employees to apply for additional unpaid time away from work after each five (5) years of continuous service. Requests must be made to Sun Life, after confirming manager approval. For full policy details please visit HR4You.
A sabbatical leave provides an employee with unpaid time off to take a break and/or pursue personal interests, with a guarantee of the same job upon return to work as if no leave had been taken.
Approval is at the Company’s discretion and is based on your business unit, length of service, job performance, and the ability to reassign work.
If you are a regular employee scheduled to work at least 24 hours a week, you may apply for a sabbatical leave of up to 12 weeks after five years of continuous service. After each subsequent five-year period (10, 15, 20, etc., years of service), the 12-week limit resets and you may apply for up to 12 weeks of leave. Sabbatical leaves must be at least five years apart, regardless of the amount of time taken, and cannot be taken in conjunction with any other leave.
The Company is committed to giving you the support you need to either stay at work or successfully return to work following a leave of absence.
Common examples of accommodations include:
Workplace accommodations apply not only to your physical office, but also wherever you might need to go to accomplish your work. They can be applicable to:
Refer to the Accommodation Request Process document for additional details.
If you take a leave of absence, when you submit a Return to Work form, you can also complete an Accommodation Request form to request accommodations and return to work. Our disability and leave of absence vendor, Sun Life Financial, will work with you, your healthcare provider, and your manager to determine if your request can be supported.
Additional Accommodations Available