The University recognizes there may be times when an employee may need to be away from their job for an extended period of time for reasons that do not fall under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.  Requests for a Personal/Unpaid Leave of Absence is granted only in emergency circumstances and after an employee has exhausted all paid sick or vacation leave, as applicable.  Requests for an Unpaid Leave of Absence will be considered on the basis of the employee’s length of service, performance, responsibility level, reason for the request, and the University’s ability to obtain a satisfactory replacement during the time the employee will be absent from work.  Requests for extensions of Leaves of Absence are discouraged, but will be considered on the basis of these same factors.  At no time can leave without pay be used to extend vacation time.

All requests for a Personal/Unpaid Leave of Absence must be initiated in writing through an employee’s supervisor and the appropriate member of the President’s Staff.  The request must state the type of leave, the length of leave, and the reason for leave. 

While on a Personal/Unpaid Leave of Absence, premium payments by the University for fringe benefits will end on the last day of the first month of such leave.  Employees on an approved Personal/Unpaid Leave of Absence may continue their fringe benefits if they request continuation of coverage from the Human Resources department and remit in a timely manner the full monthly premiums required.

While on a Personal/Unpaid Leave of Absence, all other benefits will end immediately.  Vacation credit is not accrued while on an unpaid leave.  An employee that is on a Personal/Unpaid Leave of Absence will not be paid for University holidays occurring during the leave.  Unemployment insurance benefits cannot be collected while on a Personal/Unpaid Leave of Absence. 

The granting of a Personal/Unpaid Leave of Absence by the University does not mean that the employee’s position will be held open during the leave, or that there will be a position available for the employee at the end of the leave.  When an employee is placed on a Personal/Unpaid Leave of Absence, an effort will be made to hold the position open until the employee returns to work.  However, there may be situations when positions cannot be held open due to business necessity or operational needs.  The University cannot and does not guarantee reinstatement after a Personal/Unpaid Leave of Absence or an extension of a Personal/Unpaid Leave of Absence.

An employee who accepts other employment or who fails to return to work promptly on the next regularly scheduled workday following the expiration of their Personal/Unpaid Leave of Absence will be considered to have voluntarily resigned their employment.

So that an employee’s return to work can be properly scheduled, an employee on Unpaid Leave of Absence is requested to provide the University with at least two weeks advance notice of the date he/she intends to return to work.