PPM Section 13 - Personal Leave of Absence - Unpaid
PPM Section 13 - Personal leave of absence — unpaid
A personal leave of absence without pay may be granted to eligible employees. Employees requesting a personal leave of absence may be eligible for a Family and Medical Leave of Absence.
Eligibility
- A personal leave may be granted only to regular
employees who have completed two (2) consecutive years of employment.
- A personal leave may not be granted to seek or accept other employment.
Length of leave
Typically, a personal leave may not be authorized for less than one month or more than one year. After one year, the employee will be terminated. Under unusual circumstances a leave of absence longer than one year may be appropriate. The University may, at its sole discretion, approve an extension of a leave of absence not to exceed an additional year.
Effect on seniority and benefits
An approved personal leave of absence will not result in any loss of seniority, or benefits that are related to seniority, provided that the employee returns to work (either in the previous position or in a different benefits-eligible position) within the leave of absence provisions and no later than the date initially approved for the end of the leave period. Certain benefits can be retained while on leave of absence. Human Resources should be contacted for details. In general:
- Health insurance may be continued under the provisions of COBRA. See also Health
Insurance and COBRA.
- Life insurance may be continued at the employee's expense, at group rates. See also Life Insurance.
- Long-term disability insurance may not be continued while off the payroll. See also Long-Term Disability Insurance.
Reemployment privilege
A staff member granted an unpaid personal leave is not guaranteed a position at the end of that leave. However, every effort will be made by Human Resource Services to assist the employee in securing a position comparable to the position held prior to leave. To facilitate this, the employee must contact Human Resource Services at least two (2) weeks before a leave of absence expires to begin searching for positions.
Unpaid Personal Leave of Absence-Reemployment Privilege |
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| Time Period | Reemployment Privilege | Benefits |
| Before end of approved leave. | May apply for positions as internal candidate through Job Opportunity Program. | If a position is secured, employee retains seniority and benefits related to seniority. |
| For ninety (90) days after end of approved leave. | Eligible to apply for internally posted positions. | If a position is secured, employee is considered a new hire. |
| More than ninety (90) days after the end of approved leave. | May apply for externally posted positions. | If a position is secured, employee is considered a new hire. |
Procedure — personal leave of absence — unpaid
- Application for a personal leave of absence
To apply for a personal leave of absence, the employee must complete the appropriate sections of a Leave of Absence Application (P-320) and attach any necessary supporting documents.- All personal leaves of absence must be approved prior to the beginning of the leave.
- Leaves will not be approved retroactively to cover a prior period of absence.
- The department manager then approves or denies the application, and signs it.
- The application must be approved and signed by the appropriate vice president.
- All personal leaves of absence must be approved prior to the beginning of the leave.
- Transaction form
The employing department issues a Transaction form removing the employee from the active payroll and placing him/her on an unpaid personal leave of absence.
- Consent to Release Leave of Absence Information
The Consent to Release Leave of Absence Information is an optional form provided to the employee by Human Resources. This form, when completed and returned to Human Resources, allows the HR Services staff to release leave of absence information on the employee's behalf to specific, relevant parties (e.g., the employee's personal spokesperson, bargaining unit, etc.).