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Taking Care of an Immediate Family Member with an Illness or Injury For More Than 5 Days Back to Main List
If you have an immediate family member who has a serious health condition, you may qualify for benefits under DePaul’s Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) regulations. Please refer to the following chart to learn when and how these benefits apply to the serious illness or injury of an immediate family member. (To read a description of the policy, please click on the policy name.)
 What should I do first? Contact your manager. Then, contact the Reed Group, DePaul’s leave of absence administrator, at 1-866-302-2378, to inform them of your expected absence. The Reed Group will send you instructions and the forms you need to complete. Is the leave paid? You will no longer be paid but your job is protected during approved FMLA leave. Salary may be continued for up to 5 days of sick pay or by use or accrued vacation days. Do my benefits continue while I am on an approved FMLA leave? Coverage under the following university benefit plans may continue during a qualified FMLA leave of absence if you were covered on the day the leave began and employee contributions (where applicable) are paid:
During Paid Leave During leaves for the purpose of caring for an immediate family member with a serious health condition, you must use at least half of your accrued vacation time during the leave. When you use accrued vacation for part or all of an approved FMLA leave, the FMLA leave and vacation days will run concurrently so that each day or portion of a day in which the employee receives vacation pay will count toward the 12-week FMLA limit. You may elect to discontinue your participation in Flexible Spending Accounts – but you must do so within 31 days of the commencement of the leave. If you elect to discontinue participation in your Spending Accounts, your participation ends at the end of the month following your last active pay period. Expenses incurred during the leave after your participation ends are not eligible for reimbursement. Note: Dependent care expenses are not generally eligible for reimbursement while you are on a leave. Therefore, you may want to give particular consideration to discontinuing participation in the Dependent Care FSA during a leave of absence. Faculty and staff can change or stop retirement plan, transportation program, and Health Savings Account contributions at any time. During Unpaid Leave If you are not eligible to receive pay under any of the university policies for sick pay, short-term disability or vacation, the leave will be unpaid. You will be responsible for paying the employee contribution amount for those benefits that require an employee contribution. This can be done on an after-tax basis by personal check and forwarding such payment to the Human Resources department, by arranging pre-payment via pre-tax (if appropriate) deductions prior to the leave or by retroactive payment of premium on a pre-tax (if appropriate) basis after returning to active employment. Sick Time and Short Term Disability Short term disability and sick pay benefits are not available during this leave except as otherwise provided under the University Sick Pay and Short Term Disability Policy. In such instances, accrued vacation benefits remain available. What happens if a performance review or salary increase is scheduled during the time I am on leave? If you are on an unpaid FMLA leave, the review and/or increase will be postponed until you have returned to work. If you are receiving sick pay or short term disability pay the salary increase will take place as scheduled. What do I need to do during my absence from work? Stay in touch with your manager and the Reed Group, DePaul's leave of absence administrator at 1-866-302-2378. Notify your manager and the Reed Group of your expected return date. What do I do if I need to extend my absence? Stay in touch with your manager and the Reed Group, DePaul's leave of absence administrator at 1-866-302-2378. The Reed Group will provide you with instructions and any forms which need completion to request an extension Is any documentation needed in order to return to work? Generally no documentation is required. If, however, you are returning to work on a limited or part time-basis or if work place accommodations are required, you will need to provide information from your doctor. If this is the case, please contact the Reed Group at 1-866-302-2378 for instructions and necessary paperwork prior to returning to work. Do I need to re-elect my benefits plans? No. If your leave was unpaid, all benefits contributions you were making when your leave began, such as the 403(b) Retirement Plan contributions, will re-start automatically. What will happen if I do not return to work when my leave time has expired? Failure to return may result in termination of employment.
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30 days before leave, or in an emergency, within four (4) hours of the start of the work day on which the first absence occurs.
During absence
One week prior to return
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