Leave Without Pay (LWOP)
Leave without pay may be granted for illness, education purposes, vacation, or for any other reasons deemed justified by the department head. If the need for leave qualifies as Family Medical Leave (FMLA), then the rules of that policy shall be applied first. Parental leave without pay for employees not eligible for FMLA or Paid Parental Leave (PPL) is also covered under this policy.
Full-time or part-time permanent, probationary, and time-limited employees working at least 20 hours per week are eligible for leave without pay. It is the responsibility of the department to administer leave without pay in a manner that is equitable to all its employees.
Leave Without Pay – Parental Leave
Employees who are not eligible for leave under the FMLA or PPL policy shall be granted leave during the period of the biological mother’s disability and may be granted additional leave for childbirth and adoptions.
The department shall grant leave without pay to the biological mother for the period of personal disability. The biological mother may use accumulated sick leave during this period and may choose to use vacation/bonus leave or leave without pay. A doctor’s certificate or other acceptable proof shall be required verifying the employee’s period of temporary disability. The biological mother may desire to be on leave prior to and/or after the time of actual disability. The department may grant vacation/bonus leave, if available, and may grant leave without pay for this purpose.
The department may allow a member of the immediate family (as defined in the Sick Leave Policy) to use accumulated sick leave to care for the biological mother during the period of disability. Or, the family member may be allowed to use vacation/bonus leave or leave without pay.
The parents of a newly adopted child may request to use vacation/bonus leave, leave without pay, or a maximum of 30 days of sick leave.
Leave Without Pay – Vacation
An employee must exhaust all accumulated vacation/bonus leave before going on leave without pay for the purpose of vacation.
Leave Without Pay – Personal or Other Reasons
An employee must exhaust accumulated vacation/bonus leave for personal or other reasons if the leave period is 10 workdays or less. If the leave period is greater than 10 workdays, the employee may elect to exhaust all, part, or none of the vacation/bonus leave prior to going on leave without pay.
Continuation of Benefits
Under leave without pay policy, employees are responsible for paying the full premium cost (employee + employer contributions) of their benefits should the employee elect to maintain coverage while on a leave without pay.
For periods of leave without pay, employees must contact their HR Benefits Consultant to make arrangements to pay their benefit premiums. Otherwise, if payments are not received timely, benefits may be terminated due to non-payment.
Exception: For Leave without Pay occurring under the Family and Medical Leave policy, the University contribution to the employee’s medical health plan is maintained. However, the employee continues to be responsible for any employee contributions for participation in benefits programs.
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