Medical Unpaid Leave of Absence
Employees who have used all of their accrued, unused vacation and sick time and need additional time away from work for their own personal medical reasons (unable to work due to disability), may apply for an unpaid medical leave of absence. The College will evaluate each request on an individualized basis, taking into consideration the facts and circumstances of each particular situation.
Employees will not accrue benefits while on a medical leave of absence. Continuation of medical benefits will be subject to an employee’s continued contribution of premium payments during the entirety of the leave. The College will continue to provide health insurance coverage for Administrators, Faculty, Professional Staff and Support Staff who are Regular Full-time or Regular Part-time employees on authorized disability leave for three months. Employees are responsible for paying the employee portion of contributions in order to maintain continued coverage.
The employee will be responsible for continuing to contribute their portion of the health insurance premium(s) and is expected to make arrangements with The Office of Human Resources to ensure timely payment. If payment is more than 30 days late, the employee’s health insurance coverage may be dropped. After three months the employee may then be entitled to COBRA continuation coverage at the employee's expense. Employees are required to pay their portion of the premium on the first day of each month. Coverage will cease if an employee's premium payment is more than 30 days late. If an employee qualifies for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, they will receive health benefits during your FMLA leave under the same terms and conditions as if they were on the job.
Except in cases of emergency, requests for medical leave must be made in writing, at least two (2) weeks prior to the beginning of the requested leave period. The request must be accompanied by a written report from the employee's health care provider detailing why such leave is medically necessary. In the event the College has reason to believe an employee who requests a medical leave of absence or who is on an unpaid medical leave is able to work, the College reserves the right to require the employee to submit to further examination by a doctor, selected by the College, at its own expense.
An employee returning to work will be returned to their same position unless holding the position open would impose an undue hardship. If the College cannot hold the employee’s position open during the entire leave period without incurring undue hardship, the College will consider whether it has a vacant, equivalent position for which the employee is qualified and to which the employee can be returned to at the conclusion of their leave. Medical documentation will be required for any employee returning to work from a medical leave of absence.
Employees who are able to work, but fail to return on the agreed expiration date of a leave of absence, or who have not requested or do not have an approved extension for additional leave, are self-terminated. Nothing in this policy is intended to conflict with any state or federal law or regulation. If such a conflict exists, the applicable law or regulation prevails. The College will consider the facts and circumstances of each particular case when determining whether a medical leave is necessary and/or appropriate.