Employee Benefits

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

FMLA

The University of Wyoming provides up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave in a 12-month period to eligible employees for the following reasons:

Incapacity due to pregnancy, prenatal medical care or child birth.
To care for the employee’s child after birth, or placement for adoption or foster care.
To care for the employee’s spouse, son or daughter, or parent, who has a serious health condition.
Serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the essential functions of his/her job.
Qualified exigencies for eligible employees whose spouse, son, daughter or parent is on covered active duty or call to covered active duty status; or up to 26 weeks of leave to care for a covered service member during a single 12-month period.

The University of Wyoming requires use of accrued paid leave while taking FMLA leave. FMLA runs concurrently with other applicable paid leave (sick, compensatory time, vacation, and donated sick leave). All paid leave must be exhausted before an employee is placed on unpaid leave during FMLA. Exceptions may apply for employees receiving Temporary Total Disability benefits from Workers’ Compensation.

Benefits and Protections

During FMLA leave, the employee’s health insurance must be maintained on the same terms as if the employee had continued to work. Upon return from FMLA leave, most employees must be restored to their original or equivalent positions with equivalent pay, benefits and other employment terms. Use of FMLA leave cannot result in the loss of any employment benefit that accrued prior to the start of an employee’s leave.

Employee Eligibility

Employees are eligible for up to 12 weeks, once they have worked at least 12 months (need not be consecutive), and also have worked at least 1,250 hours during the 12 months prior to the start of the FMLA leave.

Requesting FMLA

Employees must provide 30 days advance notice to their supervisor and Human Resources of the need to take FMLA leave when the need is foreseeable. When 30 days’ notice is not possible, employees must provide notice as soon as practicable.

Please refer to the Employee Handbook for the complete FMLA policy.