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Process: Taking a Leave of Absence (Staff)
A leave of absence is an approval to be away from work continuously or intermittently (excluding an approved and planned vacation) for an extended period. The university has several programs to address one’s need to take a leave of absence from work. Please refer to leave of absence key points.
Yale has an Expanded Sick Time Policy, under which sick days can be used both for yourself or when caring for a sick family member. A leave approval is not required to take occasional sick days for self and/or family.
The following process outlines action steps required for both leave of absence job protection and paid income replacement. The vendors include: The Standard for staff job protection under FMLA, the state paid family and medical leave (PFML) benefits program, and Aflac STD for their individually purchased policies available to union staff.
Please follow the steps below when planning your leave of absence:
If you encounter a situation that requires a need for time away from work, please consult with your Human Resources Business Partner. Your HR Business Partner can help determine the most appropriate leave for your circumstances. Not all situations will result in the need to take a leave of absence. Additionally, some policies and union contracts outline variations in these processes.
A leave due to a work-related injury follows a separate process. Please refer to the Workers’ Compensation website for details on how to handle a work-related injury.
Staff may file for time away from work by either calling a representative from The Standard (203-432-5552, press option #1) or initiating a request online on The Standard website. Faculty and postdocs should consult their administrative affairs processing team for guidance.
M&Ps filing for both a leave of absence and Short Term Disability together may only file by telephone with The Standard.
Your manager will be notified that a leave request has been filed when you finalize the claim intake process with The Standard. Therefore, we recommend you speak with your manager about an anticipated leave prior to filing. The notification indicates that a leave has been requested. No medical information is shared.
When you request a leave with The Standard, you will be asked if you would like to utilize your accruals in half or full days, or if you would like to be unpaid. If you choose to utilize your accruals, they will be applied in the default order (Pay While On Leave section), unless otherwise requested as noted in the Pay While on Leave section.
Supporting documentation may include medical certifications to be completed by your health care provider. These forms will be sent to you after you conduct your intake with The Standard.
If you applied for state Paid Family and Medical leave benefits, a separate set of forms will be sent to you from the PFML Authority. The PFML paperwork includes both a form for your provider, as well as an employer verification form that you must submit to Absence Management, Human Resources by emailing: employee.services@yale.edu.
Note that The Standard will accept the state’s PFML health certification form, in lieu of their own medical health certification form.
A note for M&Ps with multiple state claims in one year’s timeframe: When you apply for University-paid Short-term disability or parental pay, and you have already collected state PFML within the same year, you must provide a proof of earnings statement from the state, to Yale’s Benefits department. This is to ensure that the offsets for a STD claim or parental pay benefits are correctly allocated. In the absence of documentation, Yale will assume you are collecting state PFML for the full duration of 12 weeks, and reduce Yale-paid earnings accordingly. Upon receipt of a state benefits statement, Yale will adjust your earnings accordingly. If any overpayments occur, Yale reserves the right to recoup those funds. Coordination with State-paid leave programs is complicated, and we appreciate your patience as we navigate through the process.
If you have the voluntary Aflac STD benefit for union staff, you must contact Aflac to obtain their paperwork as well.
These vendors do not share your paperwork with each other. Vendors each require their own separate forms. However, The Standard will accept the state’s medical certification form in lieu of their own medical certification form. You may have your doctor complete the state’s medical form and submit it to both the state and The Standard. Otherwise, they do not coordinate.
As relates to The Standard for staff leaves, your provider may fax the forms directly to The Standard at: 1-866-751-5174 or by mail to:
Standard Insurance Company
P.O. Box 3877
Portland, OR 97208
- Your application packet will be reviewed to ensure documentation is complete and to assess your eligibility for Federal and State FMLA, as well as the other Yale leaves that are available.
Please pay attention to voicemails, and/or written correspondence that you may receive via U.S. mail. They will outline the deadlines for submitting paperwork. Failure to provide the appropriate paperwork by the designated deadlines may result in a denial or postponement of your leave. - If your leave is approved, you will receive a confirmation from The Standard outlining the parameters of your approved leave. We recommend you view the Yale reference guides for information about your leave related to timesheet entry, steps to take for extending your leave, and returning to work. Your manager will also receive notification outlining the approval parameters (start date, end date, and frequency and duration (if applicable)).
- If your leave is denied, you will receive a phone call to discuss the reasons for the denial as well as additional correspondence through U.S. mail, outlining the reasons for the denial. Your manager will also receive notification of the denial. Your department is responsible for managing your timesheet and pay if your leave is denied. If you have questions regarding your denial, please call 203-432-5552, press option #1.
For PFML programs, the state will issue you approval or denial correspondence. For questions about this process, please contact them directly. Learn how paid leave applies to you.
For the Aflac STD program, Aflac will issue you approval or denial correspondence. For questions about this process, please contact them directly at 1-888-888-4325.
Please consult the Yale guides for continuous absence and intermittent absences. These guides will provide helpful information regarding your leave and responsibilities.
To make a smooth transition back to work, please contact the Yale Absence Management team (203-432 5552) at least two weeks before you plan to return to work. We will verify that we have everything we need for your return and help you with the transition back to work. We will communicate your return to work date with The Standard. It is also recommended that you notify your manager of a pending return. If applicable, you will also need to confirm your return with the Paid Family and Medical leave authority.
Staff members who anticipate applying for a leave of absence should keep these key points in mind:
- The Standard is responsible for Yale’s Leave of Absence administrative processing and leave entitlement tracking.
- To file for a leave of absence, reach out to The Standard by either calling the Employee Service Center (203-432-5552, press option #1) or, by filing online on The Standard website.
- Leaves will be re-certified every 6 months and may need to be re-certified sooner if the circumstances surrounding the leave change significantly.
- Generally, no leave of absence may exceed one year, although some policies and union contracts outline variations depending upon the type of leave.
- For those on an intermittent leave, if you expect to miss a full or partial work day related to your FMLA leave, you are required to report your absence as follows:
- Report your absence to your department/manager in accordance with any established call-in procedures for your department. You must also notify your department/manager that your absence is related to your intermittent FMLA.
- Report your absence to The Standard within 24 hours. Time can be reported to The Standard 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling 1-203-432-5552, option #1 OR time may be entered in your online profile. If you do not report an absence as an intermittent FMLA leave within 24 hours, the absence may not be considered protected intermittent leave under FMLA.