PARENTAL LEAVE

About This Policy

Policy Statement

The university provides paid parental leave for eligible employees related to the birth, adoption, or
gestational surrogacy of children under the age of 18.

For qualifying events, eligible employees receive a maximum of eight (8) weeks of paid maternity leave or two (2) weeks of paid paternity leave per twelve (12) month period. Parental leave is paid at a rate of 100% regular base pay prorated based on their FTE at the time of the qualifying event. Paid parental leave is paid on a bi-weekly basis on regularly scheduled pay dates.

Parental leave will begin at a time requested by the employee, but not more than two weeks prior to the due date or adoption event, and no later than six (6) months after the birth or adoption event.
Paid parental leave may be taken continuously, intermittently, or on a reduced schedule basis. Intermittent or reduced schedule leave requires the advanced approval of the eligible employee’s department and the Office of Human Resources.

Taking the paid parental leave on an intermittent or reduced schedule basis does not extend the six (6) months after the birth or adoption in which the leave must be taken.

Any time off prior to the birth or adoption or beyond the paid parental leave must be requested separately, either:

• By completing the appropriate FMLA request form, if the employee is eligible for FMLA and has
  FMLA leave available, or
• If the employee is not eligible for FMLA or has no FMLA remaining, by requesting the use of
  accrued paid time off or leave without pay subject to the discretion of the department.

Spouses who are both eligible employees may each take leave under this policy for the same qualifying event.

Limitations
Multiple births or adoptions that occur at the same time do not increase the length of paid parental leave provided.

Paid parental leave will end immediately if the employee no longer meets the criteria for eligibility.

Any paid parental leave remaining at the end of the six (6) months is not banked for later use or paid out, and cannot be combined with any future paid parental Leave.

Portion of parental leave not covered by leave accruals
The employee will be placed on leave without pay for the balance of the parental leave not covered by available and appropriate leave accruals until the employee returns to work.

Eligibility
Full-time, benefits-eligible employees who have completed one (1) year of service (consecutive or
nonconsecutive) and have worked a minimum of 1,250 hours during the 12 months immediately preceding the date of leave would begin.

Eligibility for leave ceases as of the termination of employment; unused parental leave days are not subject to payout.

Coordination of paid parental leave with other university paid and unpaid time off
Paid parental leave must be used entirely before other forms of paid and unpaid leave may be used related to a qualifying event.

Concurrency of Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave
Paid parental leave will run concurrently with FMLA leave, if the employee meets the eligibility requirements of the FMLA. The concurrent use of paid parental leave and FMLA leave will decrease, in whole or in part, the amount of FMLA leave available to an employee.

If the employee becomes eligible during the parental leave for family and medical leave, then the employee will be placed on family and medical leave for the remainder of the leave.

The period the employee is placed on parental leave counts toward the twelve (12) weeks of family and medical leave.

University benefits during paid parental leave
Benefits eligibility continues and employees remain financially responsible for the cost of benefits while on leave.

Discretionary and vacation time will continue to accrue at the standard rate.

During the paid parental leave, medical coverage will continue to be available for the employee and any dependents under any group insurance policy, group subscriber contract, or health care plan in existence at the time of leave. While on paid leave, the continued coverage will be provided on the same basis as available to the employee during the course of employment. While an employee is using leave accruals, he or she is responsible for paying his or her share of the insurance premiums in the same amount as when working.

The university will continue its share of premiums for an employee’s insurance during the time that an employee is on leave without pay. While on unpaid leave not covered by FMLA, the continued coverage will be available at the employee’s expense. If the employee fails to pay an insurance premium by the due date, the university will cease to maintain coverage.

Holidays occurring during parental leave will be recorded as such and do not extend the leave period or augment pay.

Requesting a leave
Eligible employees must notify their supervisor in writing and contact the Office of Human Resources at least 30 calendar days in advance of the start of the leave. If leave is not foreseeable, employees must provide as much notice as is reasonably practicable under the circumstances.

Employees applying for parental leave are required to submit the documentation requested by the
university to support the request. Where the leave requested also qualifies for FMLA leave, employees are required to submit the required FMLA documentation.

Reinstatement
At the conclusion of the paid parental leave, the employee will return to the same position held at the time the leave began or to an equivalent position with equivalent pay, benefits, and working conditions. Provided the employee can perform the essential functions of the position.

An employee on a paid parental leave is still subject to a reduction in force (RIF) or reassignment that would have occurred otherwise had the employee been working.

The university’s obligation to reinstate the employee to the same or equivalent position ceases if and when the following take place:

• The employment relationship would have ended if the employee had not taken paid parental leave.
• The employee informs the university of their intent not to work at the end of the paid parental
  leave.
• The employee fails to return to work at the end of the paid parental leave.

Exceptions
Parental leave may begin before the Qualifying Event if it is deemed medically necessary by a certified physician or is required to fulfill the requirements of the adoption. The Office of Human Resources will require an employee requesting an early start to parental leave to submit appropriate supporting documentation. The decision whether to allow parental leave to begin early will be made in the sole discretion of the Director of Human Resources.

In the case where the child must remain in the hospital longer than the birth parent, the leave must begin no later than six (6) months after the child leaves the hospital. Employees are encouraged to talk to the responsible administrator/supervisor regarding taking parental leave as soon as reasonably practical.

When the adoption is in the legal process, the paid parental leave may begin from the point the child is placed with the eligible employee (granted custody) for the purpose of adoption.

If the adoption involves a child who is incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability the age limit of 18 may be waived.

Reason For Policy

The university’s parental leave policy gives parents time and flexibility to bond with their new child(ren) and to foster work-life balance that is vital to families’ capacity to flourish. Informed by university’s Christian commitment to cultivate a caring community, this policy enhances a robust benefits package for university employees.

Policy Scope

This policy applies to any full-time, benefits-eligible employee.

Procedures

• There are no procedures associated with this policy.

Forms

• There are no forms associated with this policy.

Appendices

• There are no appendices associated with this policy.
  

Additional Contacts

Definitions

Adoption Event
Adoption of a child up to 18 years of age who is adopted through public, private, domestic, international or independent means and who is not the stepchild of the adoptive parent.

Benefits-eligible Employee
The Affordable Care Act and the IRS define a full-time employee as one who works at least 30 hours a week or 130 hours a month on average.

Full-time Equivalency
The calculation of full-time equivalent (FTE) is an employee’s scheduled hours divided by the employer’s hours for a full-time workweek. The university maintains a 40-hour workweek; therefore, employees who are scheduled to work 40 hours per week are 1.0 FTEs. Employees scheduled to work 20 hours per week are 0.5 FTEs.

Gestational Surrogacy
A legal agreement between intended parent(s) and a gestational carrier to carry an embryo to term as a means for the intended parent(s) to become parent(s) of a child. Under this policy, only the intended
parent(s) would be eligible for paid parental leave.

Qualifying Event
Birth, adoption, or gestational surrogacy of children under the age of 18.

Responsibilities

Employees

• Request leave.

Supervisors

• Respond to employee parental leave request.
• Work with the Office of Human Resources, as appropriate, on employee parental leave request.

Office of Human Resources

• Respond to parental leave request.
• Provide additional information with regard to the FMLA leave Administrative Policy: Family and
  Medical – FMLA Leave and other available leave options per administrative policy, governing rules,
  or collective bargaining agreement.
• Ensure that parental leave is documented in the Human Resources Management System (HRMS).

RELATED INFORMATION

Related Policies & Procedures

• University Policy – Flexible Paid Time Off
• University Policy – Holidays and Holiday Pay

Other Related Information

• Pregnancy and Parental Leave, FMLA (Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry) 
• Women’s Economic Security Act – Minnesota CHAPTER 239–H.F.No. 2536
• Minnesota Wage Disclosure Protection – Minnesota Statutes 181.172

History

Issued
2021-10-25