Maternity Leave FAQs1
Q. How much time (paid and unpaid) am I allowed to take off for the birth of a baby?
A. If you are the birth mother and are eligible for extended sick time, you may use extended sick time for the period that your doctor determines that you need to be off work for medical reasons (including prenatal exams, morning sickness, and bed rest if the doctor orders it prior to the birth) and for postpartum recovery. If you are an employee at the Health System, you will need to use up 2 weeks of PTO (Paid Time Off) (80 hours or pro-rated) prior to using your extended sick time.
After your baby is born, you must take extended sick time for the period during which the doctor says it is medically necessary to be off work (normally six to eight weeks if there are no complications and if extended sick time is available). You must submit a doctor’s statement that says you are able to return to work. At this point, your extended sick pay ends, and if you want to continue your leave, you must take any unused vacation time, followed by unpaid leave for up to one year following the baby’s date of birth. 2
If you are the spouse or other qualified adult, you may take paid family care time to care for your wife or partner while she recuperates or to care for a sick baby. (Family care time is based on whatever you have accrued in your short-term sick time.) Using available paid and unpaid time off, you may take up to one year of total of paid and unpaid leave (including the family care time) from the time the baby is born. You must use up any vacation time before you take an unpaid leave of absence (or for Health System employees, all of your PTO time).
Q. What if I (the birth mother) am not eligible for extended sick time?
A. You will need to use up any short-term sick time and any vacation time (or all of your PTO time for Health System employees) before going on unpaid child care leave. You may take off a total of up to one year of [paid and unpaid] vacation, sick and child care leave, counted from the baby’s date of birth.2
Q. How much time would I be eligible to take off for adoption or foster care? How much of that would be paid time off?
A. A new parent could take whatever vacation time s/he has remaining. Beyond that, s/he is entitled to take up to a total of one year off—using vacation days first, then unpaid leave—from the date of adoption. In the case of Health System employees, you must use all of your PTO prior to taking unpaid leave.
Q. What paperwork do I need to fill out to begin my time off?
A. A birth mother will need to request a physician’s statement for the time she is unable to work due to pregnancy and/or childbirth, as well as when she is able to return to work. (This will be tracked as “medical leave.”) If you are the spouse or other qualified adult, you may use family care and vacation time as described above.) If you wish more time, you need to notify your supervisor or your unit HR manager that you need “x” amount of time off for a child care leave.
If you are adopting a child or providing foster care, you will need a statement from the adoption or foster care agency stating the date of adoption or foster care if you intend to take a leave beyond your accrued vacation time. You must provide this to your supervisor or unit human resources manager in order for her to process your leave through Recruitment and Career Services on central campus, or through the HR department at the Health System and the Flint or Dearborn campuses.
Q. What happens with my benefits when I am off?
A. Whether you are a birth parent or other qualified adult, if you have worked at the U of M at least one year you are entitled to a total of 12 weeks of paid benefits3. This 12 week total includes any sick and/or family care days [for birth mothers] and vacation days, as well as any unpaid time off.
If you are an adoptive or foster care parent and both parents have worked at the U of M for at least one year you are each entitled to 12 weeks of paid benefits3 from the beginning of your absence. Your child care leave must be completed within the first year after birth, adoption, or foster care placement.
Q. Is there any office that can assist me with certifying my medical absence (for birth mothers)?
A. Work~Connections (W~C) can help you with medical certification and your ability to access extended sick pay (if eligible). You or your supervisor need to complete an “Illness and Injury Report” available on the W~C website: http://www.umich.edu/~connect. They will ask you to schedule your follow-up appointment with your physician prior to the end of the 6 or 8-week period when you are medically unable to return to work. At this time, you should obtain a written release from your doctor that states that you are physically able to return to work. (Of course you may take more time off—paid vacation full unpaid leave up to one year from the baby’s birth, as explained in the first section, above.)
1This document applies to Regular Allied Health, Office, Professional/Administrative and Technical Employees. If you are a bargained-for employee, please contact your supervisor . If you are primary instructional faculty, please contact the Office of Academic Human Resources or the Work/Life Resource Center (worklife@umich.edu) for the document entitled “ Maternity and Dependent Care Benefits for Instructional Faculty.” Each case may vary; for a complete review of your situation, please check the SPG’s listed at the end of this document or contact Recruiting and Employment Services.
2For an absence of six calendar months or less from the child’s date of birth, the employee’s department must place the employee in the same or equivalent position. If the absence is longer than six months, the employee may be placed in a three-month “post leave” placement status, during which time you may apply for vacant positions. If you have not found employment after this time, your employment will be terminated.
3This provision refers to the University’s portion of benefits—health and dental insurance and prescription drug coverage. You should call the Benefits Office (734-615-2000) to arrange to prepay your portion, or the money will be subtracted from your first paycheck once you return from leave.
Note: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information. However, please check with your Human Resources representative to clarify any ambiguous information. In every case, the written SPG’s [201.11 and 201.30] will govern.
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