Faculty/Academic Staff Medical & Parental Leave

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[DAN] The Family and Medical Leave Act, or
FMLA, is a federal law that entitles eligible

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faculty, academic appointees and staff to take unpaid,

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job-protected leave for up to 12 weeks in any 12 month

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rolling back calendar period. This leave can
be taken for specific family and personal

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medical reasons, such as to bond with a newborn, newly placed

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or adopted child, to care for a spouse,
child or parent with a serious health condition

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or to care for one's own serious health condition.

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The need for FMLA to care for a family member
or oneself is endorsed by a health care provider

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to determine the length and frequency of leave required.
Cornell administers FMLA leave by way

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of a family health leave, for family qualifying events,
and a personal medical leave, for one's own

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serious medical condition. Family health leave
and personal medical leave can be used continuously

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or intermittently. However, if the length
of time on a personal medical leave is to

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exceed five working days, short-term disability will likely

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be the more appropriate leave. Here's the process for

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requesting and utilizing FMLA leave. Step
one, you will need to provide appropriate

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notice in advance of your FMLA leave. We ask for 30 days advance notice

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for planned and foreseeable leave such
as bonding or surgeries, but for unexpected

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leave needs please reach out to MLA and your supervisor

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as soon as possible. Step two, once MLA receives your
request for FMLA we will let you know if

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you're eligible for this leave. Usually within
five business days, but often sooner.

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To be eligible you must have worked for Cornell for 12 months,

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which do not need to be consecutive, and must have worked

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1,250 hours during the 12-month period immediately preceding
the start of your leave. Step three, if

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you are not eligible we will provide you with
an explanation as to why. If you are eligible

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MLA will provide you with an eligibility packet with

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your FMLA Rights and responsibilities and provide you

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with the Health Care Provider Certification.
This certification is not needed for bonding

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leaves but is needed for personal and family medical

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leaves. For a serious health condition, this form will need

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to be completed by your provider and returned
to MLA within 15 days. Step four, once the

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medical information is received, or we have verified the information needed

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for a bonding leave, MLA will provide you
with a determination for your leave and outline the

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frequency and duration of the leave approved.
Step five, if your FMLA leave is approved

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you can use this time as outlined in the determination letter.

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For intermittent use you will need to follow department

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call-in procedures and email MLA, your supervisor|
and HR rep with the information about

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the time off you are requesting. This leave
is unpaid, so you can use your accrued health

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and personal time or vacation to receive pay while on

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approved FMLA leave. Those eligible are entitled
to the continuation of their benefits and

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will return to the same or equivalent job at the conclusion of

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the leave. If ongoing FMLA leave is required,
you will need to recertify by providing an updated

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health care provider certification.
This may be required annually, based off of

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the start date of your leave or based on the need for

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leave time frame, outlined by the provider
in the certification. Now let's shift to

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academic medical leaves. When a non-work related injury or

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illness or pregnancy-related medical condition prevents

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faculty or academic staff from performing
their duties, Cornell provides short-term medical leave.

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This leave may extend for up to 26 weeks during any

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12-month period and is determined by a health
care provider. This leave may also be taken

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as a partial medical leave if the health care

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provider recommends a reduced work effort.
If the need for medical leave extends beyond

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the 26-week, short-term medical leave, benefits eligible faculty

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and academic staff may also apply
for long-term disability benefits. For questions related

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to leaves and disability accommodation  
options for faculty and academic staff,

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please reach out to me at dmr336@cornell.edu.