Family Medical Leave and Sick Leave Pool

Family and Medical Leave Act

Family and Medical Leave (FML) is unpaid leave to be used in conjunction with other paid leave or leave without pay that provides job protection and insurance premium sharing for eligible employees for serious medical conditions.

What it provides: 

  • Up to 12 weeks (480 hours) of leave within a 12 month period for an employee’s own serious medical condition or for the care of an immediate family member
  • Up to 26 weeks (1040 hours) within a 12 month period for military caregiver leave
  • Continues insurance premium sharing while out on leave
  • Restores employee to the same or equivalent position upon return from leave

Eligibility criteria:

  • Must be employed for at least 12 months by the State of Texas
  • Must have worked at least 1,250 hours during the year before the beginning of leave

Covered conditions*:

  • One’s own serious medical condition
  • Care of a family member with a serious medical condition, including:
    • Spouse
    • Parent
    • Child under age 18
    • Child over age 18 but incapable of self-care
  • Birth and Care of employee’s child or a child for whom employee is loco parentis
  • Adoption or foster care placement
  • “Military caregiver leave” – care of a family member with a serious medical condition sustained during active duty
  • “Qualifying exigency” – leave due to employee’s spouse, child, or parent being on military active duty or having been notified of an impending call to military active duty

*For a more comprehensive overview of covered conditions, please contact your Human Resources Benefits Specialist.

Forms:

References:

Sick Leave Pool

The sick leave pool (SLP) is a reserve of sick leave hours donated by university employees to provide eligible employees with paid sick leave for catastrophic medical conditions.

What it provides:

  • Up to 720 hours of paid leave for an employee’s own catastrophic medical condition or for the care of an immediate family member

Eligibility criteria:

  • Must be appointed to work at least 20 hours per week for at least 4.5 months
  • Must have exhausted all paid leave hours

Covered conditions*:

  • One’s own catastrophic medical condition
  • Care of an immediate family member with a catastrophic medical condition, including:
    • Family member who lives in same household and is related by kinship, adoption, or marriage
    • Foster child
    • Child under age 18 whether or not they live in the same household

*For a more comprehensive overview of covered conditions, please contact your Human Resources Benefits Specialist

Forms (must complete both):

References:

Other Leave Types

Handbook of Operating Procedures 5-4330, Parental Leave

Handbook of Operating Procedures 5-4610, Leave of Absence Without Pay

Handbook of Operating Procedures 5-4430, Military Leave

Handbook of Operating Procedures 5-4130, Emergency Leave

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