Leaves of Absence

When an employee is absent for 3 days or longer or requires being absent from work, the manager or employee should contact the Benefits/Leave Team at the HRPCN, so a leave of absence case can be initiated, if applicable.

Common leave of absence reasons that should prompt the manager or employee to call the Benefits/Leave Team include:

• Personal Illness/Injury
  • Includes work related injuries
• Pregnancy
• Care for an Ill or Injured Family Member
• Parental Leave/Baby Bonding
• Personal/Non-Medical absence

Medical Notes may be required when:

• No sick hours are available (to avoid unapproved leave per our practice)
• Call out due to Illness of 3 consecutive days or more (per past practice/CBA)
• Unscheduled absence due to Illness on a scheduled work day preceding or following a holiday (per PPSM and CBA)
• Justified by the employee’s poor attendance record or other circumstances (always Consult with HRPCN)
• Consult your departmental handbook for other situations that may warrant for the employee to provide a medical note

Medical documentation:

• Must be from a Health Practitioner Licensed by a State
• The medical note must certify the illness or disability AND the anticipated return to work date
• When having questions about the medical note, department Managers should never contact the employee’s doctor’s office. Contacting a doctor’s office for any type of clarification should ONLY be handled by the Benefits Team at the HRPCN.

Sick Leave Usage Policy and Practice:

• Employees’ request for the use of sick leave shall be made in accordance with departmental procedures
• Sick leave hours can be used for Personal Illness, Care of a Family Member, Medical Appointments and Bereavement
• Up to 30 days of sick can be used per calendar year for the serious illness of parent, spouse, domestic partner, children, brother, sister, grandparent, grandchildren, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, or daughter-in-law; or of any other person related to the employee who is residing in the employee’s household
• Up to 5 days of sick for bereavement can be used for employees covered by collective bargaining agreements (CBA)
• Up to 10 days of sick for bereavement can be used for employees covered by PPSM

Catastrophic Leave Usage Policy and Practice

The UCLA Campus Catastrophic Leave Program permits temporary salary and benefit continuation for a staff employee who accrues vacation and who has exhausted all paid leave credit to address circumstances such as:

• A catastrophic illness or injury of an employee
• To care for a catastrophically ill or injured family member
• To deal with the death of a family member
• To address a catastrophic casualty loss suffered due to a terrorist attack, fire, or natural disaster.

The Program allows employees to donate vacation leave to staff employees (or the central catastrophic leave bank) who do not have sufficient accumulated paid leave credits to meet a verifiable, catastrophic circumstance as noted above. While the Program establishes a mechanism for leave transfers, participation is entirely voluntary. Donations are anonymous, unless donors elect otherwise.

To donate accrued vacation hours to the central catastrophic leave bank, use the UCLA Campus Catastrophic Leave Program – Donor Form. To apply to receive donated vacation leave hours, use the UCLA Campus Catastrophic Leave Donation Program – Recipient Application.

UCLA Campus Catastrophic Leave Program – Donor Form

UCLA Campus Catastrophic Leave Donation Program – Recipient Application

For more information on Catastrophic Leave, go to: https://www.chr.ucla.edu/policies-and-labor-contracts/appendix-iii-2013-campus-catastrophic-leave-program.

Responsibilities of the HRPCN Benefits/Leave Team:

• Notify the employees of their rights and responsibilities while on leave
• Update employee’s time records (Timecards/KRONOS) during the leave
• Update Managers with ongoing return to work status for employees on leave of absence

Responsibilities of the Employee while on a leave of absence:

• Provide updated doctor’s notes regarding extensions of leave
• Complete and return all documents requested (i.e. leave of absence request; FMLA request, etc.)
• Respond to inquiries from the HRPCN, management, IRM, and Sedgwick via phone, email, etc.
• Be available to discuss possible accommodations based on return to work restrictions

Responsibilities of the Manager/Supervisor for employees on leave:

• Provide timely information to HRPCN
• Refer employees requesting a leave to the HRPCN immediately

Most used forms:

• Leave of Absence Request Form
• Medical Certification Form-Employee’s Serious Health Condition
• Medical Certification Form-Family Member’s Serious Health Condition
• Medical Certification Form-Pregnancy Disability Return To Work Certification Form

HRPCN Benefits and Leave Team:

NAME:	POSITION:	PHONE:	EMAIL:
Deanna Hamilton	Benefits Manager	(310) 206-7155	dhamilton@ha.ucla.edu
Claudia Espindola	Benefits Specialist	(310) 794-0476	cespindola@ha.ucla.edu
Fatima Lopez	Benefits Specialist	(310) 794-9117	flopez@ha.ucla.edu

Group Email: HRPCNorthBenefitsLOA@ucla.edu