Under university policy and as required by the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) eligible employees are provided up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for certain family and medical reasons. All regular Academic/Administrative, Managerial/Professional and Office/Service employees with an FTE of .50 or greater are eligible, as are all other employees (including temporary and graduate student employees) who have worked for the University for at least one year, and for 1,250 hours over the previous 12 months.
Supervisors and HR/Business Partners: Please refer to the Family/Medical Leave Guidelines for Supervisors and HR/Business Partners for additional details.
Unpaid leave will be granted for any of the following reasons:
- to address maternal/paternal concerns related to the birth of a child, or the placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care;
- to care for the employee's spouse, son or daughter, or parent, who has a serious health condition;
- for a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the employee's job,or
- in association with a death in the immediate family.
- Military exigency to help provide support for their spouse/adult designee, child, or parent who is on or called to active duty (up to 26 weeks)
- Military exigency to care for a covered servicemember with a serious injury or illness. (up to 26 weeks)
The university will grant up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for a death in the immediate family. "Immediate family" shall mean spouse, children, parents, grandchildren, grandparents, or persons bearing the same relationship to the spouse. The term shall also include siblings and siblings-in-law.
As may be required or approved by the university, certain kinds of paid leave may be substituted for unpaid leave, if such paid leave would otherwise be granted based on the reason for the absence.
Job Benefits and Protection Regarding Family/Medical Leave:
- For the duration of approved Family/Medical Leave, the university will maintain the employee's health coverage under any University sponsored "group health plan."
- Upon return from Family/Medical Leave, employees will be restored to their original or equivalent positions with equivalent pay, benefits, and other employment terms.
- The use of approved Family/Medical Leave cannot result in the loss of any employment benefit that accrued prior to the start of an employee's leave.
FML is an unpaid leave entitlement
The university's FML policy and the FMLA regulation do not require employers to pay employees during their absence. Employees may choose to use Unpaid Leave if they do not qualify or have not earned enough paid leave to cover their FML.
Employees who earn paid leave are eligible to use paid leave during an FML covered absence. Paid leave policies may have specific constraints or maximums for usage.
- Sick Leave (includes sick leave under the Parental Leave Policy)
- Vacation Leave
- Floating Holiday
- Compensatory Time Off Earned
- Crisis Leave
- Disability Leave (faculty)
Watch the Family Medical Leave Overview
This is a 7 minute video useful for any employee who needs basic information about Family Medical Leave.
Guidelines for Supervisors and HR/Business Partners
Take this 35-minute self-paced e-learning module for Supervisors and HR/Business Partners. It provides detailed information for supervisors along with employees who are responsible for administering Family Medical Leave.
When an employee requests information about family/medical leave, discuss the following before completion of the form.
- Is the primary issue for why the leave is being requested a qualifying event under the Family/Medical Leave Policy?
- Review the employees current leave balances to help them decide whether the leave will be paid, unpaid, or a combination of both.
- Any questions about the university's continuing contribution to insurance coverage, even during unpaid leave, may be directed to Campus Benefits at benefits@unl.edu.
- Determine if medical documentation is required and whether a medical release will be required when employee returns to work. It is usually advisable to request medical documentation; it is sometimes helpful to provide the employee's job description to the medical provider.