Staff Personnel Manual (SPP)

Effective: 10/16/2006

Revised: 6/18/2007

SPP 708: Parental Leave with Pay

Purpose

To provide administrators, service professionals, and classified staff with salary continuance for a period of absence from work for the birth or adoption of a child not to exceed six weeks.

Source

University policy

Applicability

All administrators, service professionals, and classified staff who have been employed at ASU for at least 12 consecutive months in a benefits-eligible position and have worked at least 1,250 hours during the previous 12 months

Policy

Six weeks of paid parental leave is available to an eligible employee who:

1. is unable to perform assigned duties because of childbirth

   or

2. is absent from work due to the birth of a child or the adoption of a child.

This paid leave will run concurrently with FMLA and is limited to a total of six weeks per family per birth or adoption per year.

This paid leave may be used by the birth mother, father, adoptive parents, and domestic partners.

Note:

The Family Medical Leave Act (SPP 705–02, “Family Leave”) is not an additional leave; rather, it is to be used concurrently with this policy.

Paid parental leave is available to be used in a single six-week block of time, either continuously or intermittently, commencing upon the birth of the child or the adoption of the child and ending six weeks from date of birth. Paid parental leave is paid at 100 percent of the employee’s regular rate of pay (based upon FTE).

This paid leave will not reduce an employee’s balance of accrued time under any other university paid leave program (e.g., sick and/or vacation leave).

---

Request for Use

Paid parental leave will be approved if the eligible employee provides a written request to the unit head and immediate supervisor (if different) requesting paid parental leave at least 60 days before the leave is to begin, if the leave is foreseeable. If the leave is not foreseeable (e.g., for adoption), the employee must provide a written request as far in advance as is possible. All requests should specify an approximate start date and an end date. The university reserves the right to require substantiation of the birth or adoption of the child that resulted in parental leave with pay. A Request for Leave of Absence form is available.

---

Coordination with Other University Policies

Family Leave

Under the family leave policy (SPP 705–02) or the extended leave policy (SPP 705–01), if the employee is not eligible to request family leave, an eligible employee can request up to 12 weeks of leave for the birth or the adoption of a child. If the employee wishes to take a leave of absence for a period of time beyond the six weeks or such lesser amount of pro-rated paid parental leave, he or she must note that request on the Request for Leave of Absence form and must utilize accrued sick (SPP 701–01) or vacation (SPP 702–01) hours to remain in pay status for all time taken beyond the paid parental leave period.

Disability Benefit

Paid parental leave will coordinate benefits with any group disability income replacement benefit policy (e.g., short-term disability insurance), up to 100 percent of the recipient’s base salary. For information on short term disability insurance benefits, see HR Benefits Web site.

Insurance Premiums and Retirement Contributions

Because the employee remains in full pay status during parental leave, the university will continue to pay the employer’s portion of health insurance premiums for benefits coverage and the employee will remain responsible for the employee’s portion. The employee will continue to earn service credit and will have retirement contributions paid by the university during the paid parental leave.

Stillbirth

Paid parental leave may be used in cases of stillbirth. In such an event, a maximum of two weeks of paid parental leave may be used. This form of paid parental leave is used in place of the university’s bereavement policy (SPP 704–05). Additional time may be used under SPP 705–02, “Family Leave,” SPP 705–01, “Extended Leave of Absence,” and SPP 701–01, “Sick Leave—General Policy” when supported by medical documentation.

---

Failure to Return to Work

If the employee fails to return to work after the expiration of this leave and/or any other authorized leave period (e.g., family leave or extended leave of absence), or returns to work but fails to remain for at least 30 calendar days, the employee agrees to reimburse ASU the salary paid under this policy.

ASU will excuse reimbursement when the failure to return is due to the continuation, recurrence, or onset of a serious health condition of the employee or the child that would otherwise qualify the employee to leave under the family leave policy, or other circumstances beyond the employee’s control.

Cross-References

For additional information, see the ASU Parental Leave Policy—Frequently Asked Questions page of the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost of the University Web site.

For information on leaves of absence from the university, see:

1. SPP 705–02, “Family Leave”

   and

2. SPP 705–01, “Extended Leave of Absence.”

For information on salary continuance policies while an employee is absent from work, see:

1. SPP 701–01, “Sick Leave—General Policy”

   and

2. SPP 702–01, “Vacation Leave—General Policy.”

skip navigation bar

---

SPP manual | ASU policies and procedures manuals | Index of Policies by Title | SPP manual contact | Human Resources Web site

Back to Top