Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Family Medical Leave Act

The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides eligible employees up to twelve (12) weeks of job-protected leave over a 12-month period for specified family and medical reasons. Employees who have been employed by Ivy Tech Community College for a total of at least 12 months (not necessarily consecutive) and who have worked at least 1,250 hours during the previous 12 months are eligible to request FMLA for the reasons listed below:

• the birth of a child and to care for the newborn child within one year of birth;
• the placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care and to care for the child within one year of placement;
• a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform their essential job functions;
• to care for the employee’s spouse, child, or parent who has a serious health condition;
• any qualifying exigency arising from the fact that the employee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent is a covered military member on “covered active duty” or
• Twenty – six (26) work weeks of leave in a single 12-month period to care for a covered service member with a serious injury or illness if the eligible employee is the service member’s spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin.

Paid Parental Leave

Paid Parental Leave (PPL) is to provide eligible employees up to four (4) weeks of paid time off in a rolling 12-month period to care for and bond with a newborn or newly adopted child.  This policy will be in effect for a birth or adoption occuring on or after October 2021.  Paid Parental Leave will run concurrently with any leave under FMLA and will not increase the amount of FMLA leave available to an eligible employee. 

The College’s FMLA and Paid Parental Leave policy can be found in the Part Time or Full Time Employee Handbook. 

Requesting FMLA

Employees wanting to request FMLA based on one of the criteria listed above need to:

1. Notify your supervisor you may have a need for FMLA. 
2. Complete a Request Form via DocuSign indicating your reason for leave and submit to the Statewide Benefits and Leaves Hub 30 days prior to your intent to take leave, if applicable.
3. Once the Request Form is received by the Hub, an email will be sent to the employee confirming receipt and providing a medical certification, if applicable.
   • A medical certification will need to be completed by the treating medical provider and submitted to the hub within 15 calendar days of your initial request for FMLA.

Both the Request Form and Medical Certification will need to be completed and submitted before FMLA leaves can be approved.

Requesting Paid Parental Leave

1. Follow the steps above to apply for FMLA. On the request form, indicate your election to use Paid Parental Leave.   
2. Once the Request Form is received by the Hub, an email will be sent to the employee providing a medical certification and request for any additional documentation.
   • Eligible employees will be required to provide the Hub with documentation validating the birth or adoption within thirty (30) days following. 
   • Acceptable documentation include birth certificate, hospital confirmation for newborn, or custody/adoption order for newly adotped child. 

If you are in need of a leave not covered under FMLA refer to Other Leaves of Absence available at the College.

If you have questions please reach out to the Statewide Benefits and Leaves Hub.