Overview
When you need to spend more than three consecutive scheduled days away from work, it's generally considered a leave of absence, unless it is planned vacation. Review this information to learn more about actions you should take before, during, and after your leave of absence.
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General leave of absence information
A leave of absence (LOA) is a period of time when you may be away from your primary job, while maintaining your status of employment. A LOA is defined as an approved absence from work for a specified period of time for medical (including pregnancy), parental (bonding), family care, military or personal reasons.
Types of leaves
Leave taken before or after birth during any period of time an employee is physically unable to work because of pregnancy or a pregnancy-related condition.
You may not need to use the leave in one continuous block of time. However, when it is medically necessary, you may take the leave intermittently or on a reduced-schedule basis.
If you meet these eligibility requirements, you may take Family and Medical Leave for any of the following reasons:
• To care for a family member (spouse, domestic partner, child, parent, parent-in-law, grandparent, grandchild, sibling or designated person) who has a serious health condition;
• To bond with your newborn, adopted child or foster child, or to take care of responsibilities related to the birth, adoption or placement of your new child (FML taken as Parental Bonding Leave);
• To address “qualifying exigencies” such as legal, financial or other matters that result from the active duty (or the call to active duty) of your spouse, domestic partner, child, parent or parent-in-law who is a military member (FML taken as Qualifying Exigency Leave);
• To care for a family member—spouse, domestic partner, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin—who is a covered service member with a serious injury or illness incurred or aggravated in the line of active duty (FML taken as Military Caregiver Leave).
You may not need to use the leave in one continuous block of time. However, when it is medically necessary, you may take the leave intermittently or on a reduced-schedule basis.
Leave taken because of a serious health condition that renders the employee unable to perform the essential functions of his or her job for a specified continuous period of time or an intermittent period of time
You may not need to use the leave in one continuous block of time. However, when it is medically necessary, you may take the leave intermittently or on a reduced-schedule basis.
Leave taken for an injury, illness or exposure arising out of the course and scope of employment.
Leave of absence for any regular, full-time staff member who is called to serve on active military duty.
Leave for qualifying exigencies that arise when the employee’s spouse, child, or parent is on covered active duty or has been notified of an impending call or order to covered active duty. Qualifying exigencies include making alternative child care arrangements for a child of the deployed military member, attending certain military ceremonies and briefings, and making financial or legal arrangements to address the military member’s absence.
Leave allowing an eligible employee who is the spouse, son, daughter, parent or “next of kin” of a covered veteran with a serious injury or illness to take up to a total of 26 workweeks of unpaid leave during a single 12-month period to provide care for the veteran.
A personal leave of absence is unpaid and is at the discretion of your manager to approve or deny. In addition, there will be an impact to your benefits as a personal leave is not a protected leave of absence. Therefore, please be sure to read the Leave without Pay fact sheet linked below.
Bereavement, jury duty, professional development, reproductive loss, voting and others
How and when to request a leave of absence
Submit a leave request with our new leave administrator, Sedgwick. Sedgwick provides an online, self-service portal called mySedgwick to help you manage your leave. Please access mySedgwick via MyAccess or by visiting www.Sedgwick.ucsf.edu.
Request a leave of absence 30 days in advance of the proposed start date of your leave. If this is an unplanned leave, immediately inform your manager of your need for a leave of absence, submit a request for leave to Sedgwick, and provide the required documentation and/or certification to support your request for a leave of absence as timely as possible. Once a leave of absence is initiated, staff will have 20 days from the receipt of the paperwork to return all completed and required documentation to Sedgwick. Not doing so will result in the denial of the leave.