Family Medical Leave Act

All leave requests and existing, approved FMLA cases will be managed through the AbsenceSoft Leave Management System, known as AbsenceTracker. AbsenceTracker will be available via single sign-on in myBama. To access AbsenceTracker, employees should login with myBama username and password, navigate to the Employee tab and select the AbsenceTracker logo to access your Employee Self-Service (ESS) Dashboard.

If the need for leave is foreseeable, the employee must give 30 days advance written notice. If the need for leave is unforeseen, the employee should provide such notice as is practical, which means following one’s supervisor’s usual and customary notice call-in procedures for reporting an absence. If the department does not have call-in procedures, the leave should be reported as soon as possible and practical within two business days, unless unusual circumstances exist. Supervisors may report an employee’s need for leave if the supervisor has enough information about the reason for the employee’s absence from work.

Yes. If an employee is requesting leave for the birth of a child, two separate FMLA requests must be submitted: 1) for the employee’s own serious health condition (i.e., Pregnancy/Maternity for recovery period immediately after delivery) and 2) for Bonding with the newborn child, as such leaves are administered separately.

Employees who do not qualify for FMLA, but need a leave of absence to recover from childbirth, should submit a Pregnancy-Related Accommodation request. Faculty employees should consult the Faculty Handbook for additional information regarding maternity leave.

Yes, subject to certain limitations. Per the Family and Medical Leave Act, legally married spouses who both work for the same employer are limited to a combined total of 12 workweeks only for certain FMLA-qualifying reasons:

• The birth of a son or daughter and bonding with the newborn child,
• The placement of a son or daughter with the employee for adoption or foster care, and bonding with the newly-placed child, and
• The care of a parent with a serious health condition.

It’s important to note that this 12 workweek limit only applies to the three FMLA-qualifying reasons listed above. One spouse may still request leave for their own serious health condition (i.e., recovery period following birth of a child) and this will not count against the combined 12 workweeks limit for both spouses. For pregnancy, the Benefits Office typically approves a recovery period of 6-8 workweeks depending on medical documentation, followed by 4-6 workweeks of bonding leave. For example, if the pregnant spouse is approved for 6 workweeks of recovery AND 6 workweeks of bonding leave then the other spouse would still be eligible to request 6 workweeks of bonding leave (12 – 6 = 6 workweeks remaining).

In the event you exhaust your available FMLA entitlement (12 weeks of unpaid leave in a 12-month period calculated as a “rolling” 12-month period measured backward from the date of any FMLA leave usage, or 26 weeks of unpaid leave in a single 12-month period to care for a covered servicemember with a serious injury or illness.), then you will be expected to return to work the following business day. If you are unable to return to work and require additional leave, you should consider the following options:

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Some serious health conditions may also qualify as a covered disability under the ADA for which the University would, absent undue hardship, provide a qualified employee a reasonable accommodation. If you have an impairment that substantially limits a major life activity and prevents you from returning to work, or if you believe a reasonable accommodation is needed in order to resume your normal job duties and/or perform essential job functions, contact the Employee Accommodation at 205-348-8372 prior to your expected return date. More information about reasonable accommodations.

Leave as a Pregnancy-Related Accommodation: All regular full-time and part-time staff employees who do not qualify for a leave under the Family and Medical Leave (FML) Policy or who have exhausted their 12 weeks of available FML entitlement may be eligible for time off work as a Pregnancy-Related Accommodation to recover from a childbirth, false pregnancy, miscarriage, or other pregnancy-related medical events. Only employees who require leave from work for a medical reason related to recovery from their own pregnancy-related event are eligible. Such accommodations are not available for purposes of bonding.

Faculty Paid Leave: Faculty employees should consult the Faculty Handbook for additional information regarding paid leave(s).

Long Term Disability Options: Additionally, if you are not able to return to work, we recommend that you fully explore all benefit options such as the University-paid long term disability insurance through The Standard or disability retirement from TRS. For more information about these benefits, call the HR Service Center at 205-348-7732 or email hrsvctr@ua.edu.

Other Unpaid Leaves and Employee Benefits: If you exhaust all FMLA hours and remain off work on any other approved, unpaid leave (e.g., ADA leave), you may be eligible to continue certain insurance benefits (medical, dental, vision, health FSA) through COBRA. All other employee-paid benefits including Voluntary Life, Voluntary AD&D;, STD, LifeLock, etc. will be cancelled after FMLA is exhausted.