Know Your Contract

Family Medical Leave Act, FMLA

In general, most members will take FMLA for a serious health condition or to care for a family member with a serious health condition; however, FMLA covers more than illness.  

All members who have worked at MSU for 12 months, and have at least 1,250 hours in those 12 months, are eligible for FMLA protection.  FMLA is extended for the following qualifying situations:

• The member’s serious health condition;
• To care for a spouse, including domestic partners, dependent child, or parent with a serious health condition;
• For birth of a child, including prenatal doctor visits as well as caring for the newborn child, anytime within the first twelve months of the birth of the baby;
• For placement of a child for adoption or foster care with the employee anytime within the first twelve months of the placement of the child;
• Because a qualifying exigency arises, and a spouse, child or parent, who is a covered military member and is on active duty or has been notified of an impending call to active duty status is being deployed for a contingency operation in a foreign country;
• To care for a service member (spouse, child, parent or next of kin) who is currently serving, or who is on the temporary disability retired list, with a serious injury or illness incurred in the line of duty on active duty for which he or she is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy.

Members may apply for FMLA leave for conditions requiring time off intermittently, continuously, or on a reduced schedule.  If you know you will require FMLA, you need to provide 30 days advance notice; however, if the leave is not foreseeable, notice must be give as soon as practicable.

When considering using FMLA, you may use any sick or vacation hours that you have accrued in EBS so that you can continue to be paid during your leave (per the APA Contract).  If you don’t have enough paid leave hours, you may take unpaid leave for up to 12 weeks under FMLA.  If you have FMLA time available, your insurance will be maintained by MSU at no cost to you.  Depending on your FMLA needs, leave accruals will vary.

You can review MSU’s FMLA Policy and request FMLA forms by contacting MSU Human Resources at 517-353-4434 or [email protected].  

It is important to note that once you request FMLA paperwork, MSU HR will notify your department and supervisor that you have requested FMLA paperwork.  If you would like to review FMLA paperwork without notification to your department and supervisor, you may request the paperwork from APA by contacting the MSU APA office at (517) 999-4004 or email [email protected].

Once your FMLA paperwork has been approved, your supervisor and department will be notified that you have been approved for an FMLA absence – not the specific reason for your FMLA absence.   

To review Article 24 – Sick Leave, or any other APA contractual provision, go to:

http://lay.wyz.mybluehost.me/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2015-2019-Contract.pdf

If you have further questions, don’t hesitate to ask for assistance by contacting the MSU APA office at (517) 999-4004 or email [email protected].