Faculty Medical and Family Leave
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Are part-time faculty members eligible for medical or family leave under the FMFL policy?
2. Are Faculty Librarians eligible for medical or family leave under the FMFL policy?
3. Are Research Associates or Postdocs eligible for medical or family leave under the FMFL policy?
5. Does the University offer maternity leave?
6. Does the University offer paternity leave?
7. Can a faculty member take family leave when adopting a child?
9. Can a faculty member take leave to care for a seriously ill family member?
11. Can a faculty member fulfill some of his or her job responsibilities while on medical leave?
15. Are benefits protected during family and medical leaves provided for under University policy?
16. Does taking a medical or family leave negatively influence a faculty member's job evaluation?
19. What paperwork does a faculty member need to fill out in order to initiate a medical leave?
20. What paperwork does a faculty member need to fill out in order to initiate a family leave?
21. Where can a department chair obtain information on processing FMFL paperwork?
22. Where can a dean obtain information on processing FMFL paperwork?
23. Where can a Library Director obtain information on processing FMFL paperwork?
24. Where can a faculty member or administrator get more information on the FMFL Policy?
1. Are part-time faculty members eligible for medical or family leave under the FMFL policy?
Only part-time faculty members who are tenured or in the tenure stream are eligible for FMFL.
2. Are Faculty Librarians eligible for medical or family leave under the FMFL policy?
Yes, both full-time and part-time Faculty Librarians who are employed at least half-time are eligible to take FMFL.
3. Are Research Associates or Postdocs eligible for medical or family leave under the FMFL policy?
No. Only faculty members are eligible to take FMFL. Research Associates and Postdocs are eligible to take unpaid leave under the Federal Medical Leave Act (FMLA) if they have worked at the University for at least twelve months and have been employed at least 1,250 hours during the twelve-month period. See policy 07-07-02.
4. Are faculty members who have been employed by the University for less than one year eligible to take medical or family leave under FMFL?
Yes. There is no minimum service needed to be eligible for FMFL except leave taken to care for a seriously ill family member. In order to be eligible for that leave, a faculty member must be employed with the University for 24 calendar months or longer.
5. Does the University offer maternity leave?
While there is nothing at the University that is officially titled “maternity leave,” the University offers medical leave and family leave under the FMFL policy. A pregnant faculty member may wish to take medical leave for the birth of a child and/or family leave to care for a child. Medical leave is paid leave and family leave can be paid or unpaid depending on the length of leave taken.
6. Does the University offer paternity leave?
Under the FMFL Policy both male and female faculty members are eligible to take family leave. Family leave consists of two work weeks of paid leave to be taken within the first year of the birth or adoption of a child. Additionally, faculty members may request up to one year of unpaid family leave to care for a child. However, combined paid and unpaid family leave shall not exceed 12 calendar months in any consecutive three year period.
7. Can a faculty member take family leave when adopting a child?
Yes. A faculty member is eligible for two work weeks of paid family leave either when adopting a child or for the birth of a child. Additionally, faculty members may request up to one year of unpaid family leave to care for a child. However, combined paid and unpaid family leave shall not exceed 12 calendar months in any consecutive three year period.
8. When adopting a child who has medical or psychological problems, is there any additional leave that can be taken in order to care for this child?
Children adopted from other countries or from unfortunate circumstances may have medical or psychological needs that would require additional care. Provided that a faculty member has been employed with the University for 24 calendar months or longer, he or she can request up to four work weeks of paid leave in addition to the two weeks of paid family leave to care for an adopted child with special medical or psychological needs. As with any other medically related leave, a Certification of Physician or Practitioner form, in this case filled out by the child’s physician, would be required.
9. Can a faculty member take leave to care for a seriously ill family member?
A faculty member who has been employed by the University for 24 calendar months or more is eligible for four weeks of paid leave in any consecutive 24 month period to care for a seriously ill spouse, biological or adopted child, or parent for whom the faculty member has major responsibility. The faculty member is also eligible for one year of unpaid leave to care for a spouse, biological or adopted child, foster child, parent, or other household member for whom the faculty member has major responsibility. This may include routine childcare. Combined paid and unpaid family leave shall not exceed 12 months in any consecutive three year period.
10. When filling out the paperwork for a medical leave, is it possible to keep a faculty member’s medical condition completely confidential?
Yes. If a faculty member wishes to keep his or her medical condition confidential, the Certification of Physician or Practitioner form can be sent directly to Linda Wykoff in the Office of the Provost. Personal medical conditions are always kept confidential.
11. Can a faculty member fulfill some of his or her job responsibilities while on medical leave?
As long as the physician has stated on the Certification of Physician or Practitioner form that the faculty member can work on a part-time or limited basis, the faculty member may do so. However, the medical leave taken still counts as a full-time medical leave.
12. If a faculty member is scheduled to teach during a particular term and the physician has recommended medical leave for part of that term, how does that work out?Every school has an option of dealing with this issue the way that makes the most sense to the organizational structure of the school as long as the method is consistently applied. Some schools relieve the faculty member of all their teaching responsibilities for the term when the medical leave takes place; the faculty member then makes up a course at a later date. Whichever way leave is handled, it should be done so with the utmost collegial effort by all those involved.
13. If a faculty member takes medical leave for a pregnancy, what date should be put down as the start date of the leave as the baby could come anytime?
The start date for the leave should be the estimated delivery date provided by the physician unless, for medical reasons, the physician provides a start date prior to the estimated delivery date. If the actual delivery date is within a close proximity of the estimated date, there is no need to redo all the paperwork. The faculty member should contact her department chair when the baby arrives so everyone will be aware when the leave has actually commenced. The length of the medical leave does not change. The only change is the start date and the end date of the leave.
14. How can a dean or chair verify that the length of leave a faculty member has requested is what their physician has recommended?If a faculty member wishes to keep his or her medical condition confidential they may do so; therefore a dean or chair may never see the Certification of Physician or Practitioner form. The Office of the Provost will verify that the amount of time requested by the faculty member is identical to what the physician has recommended on the Certification of Physician or Practitioner form.
15. Are benefits protected during family and medical leaves provided for under University policy?
During all paid and unpaid leaves taken under FMFL the University will continue to pay its share of medical, life, and disability insurance premiums, and the faculty member will be responsible for his or her portion. If a faculty member does not return to University employment after the leave, he/she is obligated to reimburse the University for its insurance expenditures during the leave.
16. Does taking a medical or family leave negatively influence a faculty member's job evaluation?No. The absence of a faculty member while they are on medical or family leave shall not, in itself, adversely affect decisions regarding the faculty member's salary, benefits, tenure, or promotion.
17. When a faculty member takes medical or family leave for four calendar months or longer, can the academic year in which the leave is taken not be counted as a year towards mandatory tenure review?
Yes. If a faculty member wishes the year not to count towards the mandatory tenure review he or she should state this in the memo to their chair when requesting medical and/or family leave.
18. Can a faculty member who becomes a parent by birth or adoption, or who takes medical or family leave for less than four months, request that the year in which the leave is taken or parenthood occurs not count towards the mandatory tenure review?If a faculty member wishes the year not to count towards the mandatory tenure review he or she should request this in the memo to their chair when requesting medical and/or family leave. Any such request shall be reviewed by the Provost, who shall have the final decision with regard to its approval.
19. What paperwork does a faculty member need to fill out in order to initiate a medical leave?
To initiate a medical leave the faculty member must:
» Have their physician fill out a Certification of Physician or Practitioner form. This form and the FMFL policy are available online at http://www.pitt.edu/HOME/PP/policies/02/02-11-01.html, through department chairs, deans, and Linda Wykoff in the Office of the Provost. The completed form can be either sent directly to Linda Wykoff in the Office of the Provost or it can be sent to the faculty’s department chair.
» The faculty member should also write a memo to their department chair requesting medical leave under the FMFL policy.
» In the memo, the faculty member should provide the start date and end date for the leave that was recommended by their physician.
20.What paperwork does a faculty member need to fill out in order to initiate a family leave?
To initiate a family leave the faculty member must:
- Write a memo to their department chair requesting family leave under the FMFL policy.
- In the memo, the faculty member should provide a start date and an end date for the leave that is consistent with the FMFL policy.
- For leave to care for an ill family member, in addition to writing the memo, faculty members must have their family member’s physician fill out a Certification of Physician or Practitioner form. This form and the FMFL policy are available online at http://www.pitt.edu/HOME/PP/policies/02/02-11-01.html, through department chairs, deans, and Linda Wykoff in the Office of the Provost.
- The completed Certification of Physician or Practitioner form can be either sent directly to Linda Wykoff in the Office of the Provost or it can be sent to the faculty’s department chair.
21. Where can a department chair obtain information on processing FMFL paperwork?
Guidelines for department chairs on handling FMFL paperwork are available at http://www.pitt.edu/~provost/fmflchairsguidelines.pdf.
22. Where can a dean obtain information on processing FMFL paperwork?
Guidelines for deans on handling FMFL paperwork are available at http://www.pitt.edu/~provost/fmfldeansguidelines.pdf.
23. Where can a Library Director obtain information on processing FMFL paperwork?
Guidelines for Library Directors on handling FMFL paperwork are available at http://www.pitt.edu/~provost/fmfllibguidelines.pdf.
24. Where can a faculty member or administrator get more information on the FMFL Policy?
For more information about the FMFL policy, contact Linda Wykoff at 624-5750 or wykoffl@provost.pitt.edu.