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UT System Administration Policy Library -- Policy INT130

Parental Leave

Responsible Officer: Associate Vice Chancellor for Employee Benefits and Services
Sponsoring Office: Office of Employee Services
Effective Date: February 1, 2001
Last Reviewed: August 13, 2009
Next Scheduled Review: July 1, 2012
Errors or changes to: policyoffice@utsystem.edu

Policy Statement
Rationale
Scope
Website Address For This Policy
Related Statutes, Policies, Requirements Or Standards
Contacts
Definitions
Responsibilities
Procedures

Forms Tools/Online Processes

Appendices

POLICY STATEMENT

Employees appointed twenty hours per week or more and for four and one-half months or more and who are not in a position that requires student status as a condition of employment are eligible for parental leave.

An employee who has been employed for less than twelve months by the state or who has worked less than 1,250 hours during the twelve-month period immediately preceding the beginning of leave and who meets other criteria outlined in this policy is eligible to take a parental leave of absence not to exceed twelve weeks during the twelve-month period immediately following the commencement of leave.

Employees who are not eligible for Family and Medical Leave may use parental leave for the birth of a natural child of the employee or the adoption by or foster care placement with the employee of a child younger than three years of age. Parental leave is limited to and begins on the date of the birth of a natural child or on the date of the adoption or foster care placement of a child younger than three years of age.

RATIONALE

This policy provides for the administration of parental leave.

SCOPE

All Offices of UT System Administration

WEBSITE ADDRESS FOR THIS POLICY

http://www.utsystem.edu/policy/policies/int130.html

RELATED STATUTES, POLICIES, REQUIREMENTS OR STANDARDS

UT System Administration Policies & Standards

Other Statutes, Policies & Standards

Texas Government Code, § 661.913

CONTACTS

If you have any questions about UT System Administration Policy INT 130, Parental Leave, contact the following offices:

Subject	Office Name	Telephone Number	Email/URL
Human Resources/ Employee Benefits	Office of Employee Services	512-499-4587	esc@utsystem.edu

DEFINITIONS

None

RESPONSIBILITIES

Employee

Contacts the Office of Employee Services (OES) to request parental leave as far in advance of the need as possible.
Completes and submits the application form to OES.
Provides the Certification of Health Care Provider form to the physician and ensures the completed form is returned to OES.
Contacts OES to make arrangements for the payment of insurance premiums if placed on leave without pay for one or more full calendar months.
Records the time away from work as the applicable leave type (e.g., sick, vacation) and enters “Parental Leave” in the notes section of the Electronic Time System weekly timesheet.

Office of Employee Services

Notifies the employee of eligibility and documentation information.
May request that the employee provide periodic reports on their status during a parental leave of absence and may request supporting documentation to return to work.

PROCEDURES

1.1 The employee should contact OES to request parental leave as far in advance of the need as possible.

1.2 OES will provide the application form and the Certification of Health Care Provider form to the employee.

1.3 On receipt of the completed forms from the employee, OES will notify the employee of eligibility and documentation information.

1.4 An eligible employee is entitled to take up to twelve weeks of leave during the twelve-month period immediately following the date of the birth of a natural child of the employee or the date of the adoption or foster care placement of a child younger than three years of age.

1.5 Any leave taken that is related to the parental leave condition is considered parental leave and will count against the employee’s parental leave entitlement. If an employee takes leave intermittently, rather than for one continuous period of time, only the amount of leave actually taken for the parental leave condition will count against the entitlement.

1.6 Employees must first use all accumulated and applicable paid vacation and sick leave while taking parental leave prior to going on approved leave without pay. The use of sick leave is restricted to circumstances that would otherwise qualify for sick leave. An employee who is the father of a child may use sick leave for the birth of his child in conjunction with parental leave only if the child is ill due to childbirth or to care for his spouse while she is recovering from labor and delivery.

Employees may use accumulated state compensatory time or Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime during a parental leave of absence but are not required to do so. State compensatory time, FLSA overtime, and holidays used by an employee during a parental leave of absence are not counted against the employee’s twelve-week entitlement.

1.7 If an employee is placed on leave without pay for one or more full calendar months, the employee must contact OES to make arrangements for the payment of insurance premiums while on leave.

1.8 The employee must record the time away from work as the applicable leave type (e.g., sick, vacation) and enter “Parental Leave” in the notes section of the Electronic Time System weekly timesheet.

FORMS AND TOOLS / ONLINE PROCEDURES

Certification of Health Care Provider form
http://www.utsystem.edu/secure/ohr/forms/CertEmployeeSeriousHealthCondition.pdf

APPENDIX