The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) entitles an eligible employee to take up to 12 workweeks of protected job leave in a 12 month period for a specified family and/or medical reason, or for any qualifying exigency arising out of the fact that a covered military family member is on active duty, or has been notified of an impending call or order to active duty, in support of a contingency operation. FMLA also allows eligible employees to take up to 26 workweeks of job-protected leave in a single 12 month period to care for a covered service member with a serious injury or illness. 

To be eligible for FMLA and employee must:  

• have worked for the employer for a total of 12 months, and 

• have worked at least 1,250 hours over the previous 12 months.   

Depending on the reason and length of the leave, faculty may continue to receive salary and benefits as listed below:   

• Personal Illness.  A faculty member receives up to twelve weeks of paid leave. 

• Personal Maternity.  A faculty member receives up to twelve weeks of paid leave. 

• Family Need.  When a situation arises that requires a faculty member to provide personal care to a family member, efforts will be made to adjust the faculty member’s schedule in such a way that s/he will be able to meet responsibilities to the seminary (teaching, advising, committee work, etc.).  If the demands of the faculty member are so substantial as to prevent him/her from meeting such responsibilities, s/he may request up to twelve weeks of leave.  Up to four weeks is paid sick leave, with the remaining unpaid personal leave.  In the latter case, the faculty member will cooperate with the academic dean and other faculty members to assure the best possible coverage of responsibilities to the seminary.  

• A faculty member continues to receive fringe benefits during family/medical leave. 

Please review the Faculty Handbook for more information about FMLA.