Leaves of Absence
Need to take time off and not sure where to start? Review the options below, decide which one best fits your needs, and follow the links for next steps and additional information on the various leave programs available to Heal employees.
Table of Contents
Frequently Asked Questions
Start the process by completing the Leave Request Form, then complete the appropriate steps for the type of leave requested:
Medical Leave of Absence
Non-Medical Leave of Absence
Military Leave of Absence
Paid Parental Leave of Absence
ADA Leave of Absence
Please note: Completion of the Leave Request Form, and other supporting documentation, is only a formal request for a leave of absence, it is not an approval. Each leave request will be reviewed and decided on an individual and case-by-case basis.
The reasons for leave are:
Employee Illness
Family Illness
Birth, Adoption, Foster Care
Military
Personal Leave
If you need a medical leave of absence, please review the medical leave type flowchart below to determine which leave you are eligible for. For Non-medical leaves you would be classified as either a Personal Leave of Absence or Military Leave of Absence.
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) is a federal regulation that entitles eligible employees up to 12 workweeks of unpaid, job-protected leave and benefits continuation for qualifying events including:
The employee’s own serious health condition
A family member’s serious health condition (spouse, parent, child under the age of 18 or 18 years of age or older and incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability)
The birth or care of a newborn child
The adoption or foster care of a child
Qualifying military exigencies
Military caregiver leave (up to 26 weeks)
In order to be eligible for FMLA leave, the employee must:
Be employed at Heal for at least 12 months
Have worked at least 1,250 hours during the 12-month period immediately preceding the start of the leave
Some leaves are designated as “Paid” leaves — such as paid parental leave. During these such leaves, you will continue to receive a regular Heal paycheck on regular pay days without using any accrued paid time off or sick time.
All other leaves are designated as “Unpaid” leaves. Employees may substitute accrued sick or paid time off for their unpaid leaves.
Employees who are out on leave for their own personal health may be eligible to receive Short Term Disability (STD) benefits.
Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
To care for immediate family members (spouse, sponsored adult dependent, child, child of a sponsored adult dependent or parent) with a serious health condition.
Eligibility Requirements
Must have been employed with the company at least 1 (one) year prior to the leave date
Must have worked at least 1,250 hours in the previous year
Covered Family Members
Covered family members under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) are the employee’s spouse, son, daughter or parent as defined in the FMLA regulations.
Under the FMLA, a “spouse” means a husband or wife, including those in same-sex marriages, which were made legal in all 50 United States as of June 26, 2015.
“Son or daughter” means a biological, adopted or foster child; a stepchild; a legal ward; or a child of a person standing in loco parentis who is either under age 18 or age 18 or older and “incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability.”
The FMLA defines the term “parent” as “a biological, adoptive, step or foster father or mother, or any other individual who stood in loco parentis to the employee when he or she was a minor.”
The FMLA also allows employees to take leave to care for a covered service member or veteran with a serious injury or illness if the employee is the spouse, son, daughter, parent or next of kin of the service member or veteran. “Next of kin” means the nearest blood relative other than the covered service member’s spouse, parent, son or daughter in the following order of priority: blood relatives who have been granted legal custody of the covered service member by court decree or statutory provisions, brothers and sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and first cousins unless the covered service member has specifically designated in writing another blood relative as his or her nearest blood relative for purposes of military caregiver leave under the FMLA.
Family members not covered by the federal FMLA include siblings, in-laws, grandparents and other extended family members unless those individuals stood “in loco parentis” to the employee when he or she was a minor. Non-family members can also be considered to have stood in loco parentis, which is defined as having had the responsibility of providing day-to-day care to the employee and of financially supporting the employee in his or her childhood.
More Information
Employees eligible for FMLA benefits may take up to 12 work weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in a rolling 12-month period for medical and family related reasons.
Medical related leaves will be approved only for the length of time your health-care provider certifies.
Employee must use accrued benefit time before moving to unpaid status for medical leave.
FMLA may be taken as continuous or intermittent/reduced schedule.
Next Steps: When requesting leave online, employees should select the medical leave that matches their medical condition (even if the employee is not eligible for FMLA). Employees taking leave for a serious health condition will be required to obtain a return to work form from their health care provider prior to returning to work.
Personal Leave of Absence (PLOA)
Definition
Personal leave is for any condition/situation that is outside of medical or military leave of absence (e.g., mission trip, disaster recovery, etc.), including leave for employee illness/injury and pregnancy when FMLA eligibility is not met or for family and medical reasons beyond FMLA limits.
More Information/Options
Six-months of continuous service may be required to take personal leave. Exceptions may apply for medical related conditions.
Personal leave requires prior approval of supervisor/manager. Exceptions may apply for medical related conditions.
Personal leaves generally last 31 days or less. Exceptions may apply for medical related conditions.
Next Steps: When requesting leave, employees should select the medical leave that matches their medical condition (even if the employee is not eligible for FMLA). Employees taking leave for a serious health condition will be required to obtain a return to work form from their health care provider prior to returning to work.
Leave as a Reasonable Accommodation (ADA)
Definition
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act (ADAAA) are federal laws that require employers with 15 or more employees to not discriminate against applicants and individuals with disabilities and, when needed, to provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees who are qualified for a job, with or without reasonable accommodations, so that they may perform the essential job duties of the position.
Other Information
Leave for employee may be required if it would constitute a reasonable accommodation that doesn’t impose undue hardship on the employer.
Leave typically must be for a defined period and is unpaid unless employer pays for other similar leaves.
Military Leave (USERRA)
Definition
The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, enacted October 13, 1994 (Title 38 U.S. Code, Chapter 43, Sections 4301-4335, Public Law 103-353), as amended, provides for the employment and reemployment rights for all uniformed service members.
Eligibility
Reemployment rights extend to persons who have been absent from a position of employment because of “service in the uniformed services.” “Service in the uniformed services” means the performance of duty on a voluntary or involuntary basis in a uniformed service, including:
Active duty and active duty for training
Initial active duty for training
Inactive duty training
Full-time National Guard duty
Absence from work for an examination to determine a person’s fitness for any of the above types of duty
Funeral honors duty performed by National Guard or Reserve members
Duty performed by intermittent employees of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, when activated for a public health emergency, and approved training to prepare for such service (added by Pub. L. 107-188, June 2002). See Title 42, U.S. Code, Section 300hh-11(d).
The ”uniformed services” consist of the following [20 CFR 1002.5 (o)]:
Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard
Army Reserve, Naval Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Air Force Reserve and Coast Guard Reserve
Army National Guard and Air National Guard
Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service
Any other category of persons designated by the President in time of war or emergency
Other Information
The law requires employees to provide their employers with advance notice of military service, with some exceptions.
Notice may be either written or oral. It may be provided by the employee or by an appropriate officer of the branch of the military in which the employee will be serving. However, no notice is required if:
Military necessity prevents the giving of notice; or
The giving of notice is otherwise impossible or unreasonable.
“Military necessity” for purposes of the notice exception is defined in regulations of the Secretary of Defense as “a mission, operation, exercise or requirement that is classified, or a pending or ongoing mission, operation, exercise or requirement that may be compromised or otherwise adversely affected by public knowledge.” See 32 CFR 104.3.
Paid Parental Leave (PPL)
Definition
To support its employees who are new parents, Get Heal, Inc. (“Heal”) offer’s its full-time employees who have been with the company for at least a year, paid parental leave (PPL) to both the mother and father following the birth of a child. The purpose of PPL is to enable the employee to care for and bond with their newborn child.
Eligibility
Eligible employees must meet the following criteria:
Currently employed full-time;
Must work an average of thirty-one (31) hours or more per week; and
Must have completed one (1) year of employment
In addition, employees must meet one of the following criteria:
Have given birth to a child; or
Be a spouse or committed partner of the person who has given birth to your child.
Benefit Details: Compensation
Spouse or committed partner
If the employee is a spouse or committed partner, the employee will be eligible for up to six (6) weeks of PPL for bonding, at a 100% of the employee’s regular pay.
New Mothers
If the employee is the parent that gave birth to a child, employee will be eligible for:
Week 1: Up to (1) week of PPL for recovery, at 100% of the employee’s regular base pay
Weeks 2-7: Short Term Disability (STD) at 60% of employees regular pay, up to 1,500$ a week for (6) weeks for a vaginal birth, and (8) weeks for a C-Section; Heal will supplement the difference between the STD benefit coverage amount and the employee’s regular pay;
Weeks 8 & 9: Up to (2) weeks of PPL for recovery, at 100% of the employee’s regular pay; and
Weeks 10-12: Up to (3) weeks of PPL for bonding, at a 100% of the employee’s regular pay.
Timing of Paid Parental Leave
The fact that multiple births (e.g., the birth of twins) does not increase the total amount of PPL granted for that event. In no case will an employee receive more than 12 weeks of PPL in a rolling 12-month period, regardless of whether more than one birth occurs within that 12-month time frame.
Approved PPL may be taken at any time during the 12-month period immediately following the birth of a child. PPL may not be used or extended beyond this 12-month time frame.
Employees must take PPL in one continuous period of leave and must use all PPL during the 12-month time frame indicated above. Any unused PPL will be forfeited at the end of the 12-month time frame.
Upon termination of the individual’s employment at the company, he or she will not be paid for any unused PPL for which he or she was eligible.
Coordination with Other Policies
PPL taken under this policy will run concurrently with leave under the FMLA; thus, any leave taken under this policy that falls under the definition of circumstances qualifying for leave due to the birth of a child, will be counted toward the 12 weeks of available FMLA leave per a 12- month period.
All other requirements and provisions under the FMLA will apply. In no case will the total amount of leave—whether paid or unpaid—granted to the employee under the FMLA exceed 12 weeks during the 12-month
FMLA period.
The company will maintain all benefits for employees during the PPL period just as if they were taking any other company paid leave such as paid vacation leave or paid sick leave.
If a company holiday occurs while the employee is on PPL, such day will be charged to holiday pay; however, such holiday pay will not extend the total PPL entitlement.
An employee who takes PPL that does not qualify for FMLA leave will be afforded the same level of job protection for the period of time that the employee is on PPL as if the employee was on FMLA-qualifying leave.
Next Steps: When requesting leave, employees should select the medical leave that matches their medical condition (even if the employee is not eligible for FMLA). Employees taking leave for a serious health condition will be required to obtain a return to work form from their health care provider prior to returning to work.
Short-Term Disability (STD)
Short term disability insurance
Get Heal/Heal Doctors offers short term disability insurance through SunLife. Disability insurance covers a part of your income, so you can pay your bills if you’re injured or sick and can’t work.
Supplemental Pay
STD will pay up to 60% of an employees regular base pay for up to 12 weeks.
When to report a claim
File your claim as soon as you know you will be out of work.
What information you will need
Before you file your claim, please have this information handy:
Your name, address, phone number, birth date, Social Security number and email address
Employment information, including your job title and work location
Reason for your claim – illness, injury or pregnancy
Description of your illness, symptoms, and/or diagnosis. Include the date the symptoms started and if you’ve had previous symptoms
Workers’ compensation claims you have already filed or will file
- Member ID: Your SSN
Policy Number: 953764
How to Apply
You can file a Short-Term Disability (STD), or State Mandated Disability (SMD) claim by doing one of the following:
- Online: https://www.sunlife.
com/us/en/plan-members-and- families/submit-or-track-a- claim/ - Mail: Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, One Sun Life Executive Park, Wellesley, MA 02481
- Email: myclaimdocuments@sunlife.com
- Phone: 1-800-247-6875 M-F 8:00am-8:00pm EST
- Fax: 1-781-304-5599
How benefits are paid
Checks are typically mailed on a bi-weekly basis after the payment issue date. If you elect direct deposit, benefits will be available in your account approximately 2 business days from the payment issue date
Questions
Call Sun Life at 1-800-247-6875. A Sun Life representative is available to help you Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (EST).
Long-Term Disability (LTD)
Long-term disability insurance
Get Heal/Heal Doctors offers long-term disability insurance through Sun Life. Disability insurance covers a part of your income, so you can pay your bills if you’re injured or sick and can’t work.
Supplemental Pay
After a 90-day elimination period, LTD will pay up to 60% (up to $15,000 each month) of an employee’s regular base pay. This pay may last up until you reach Social Security Normal Retirement Age.
When to report a claim
File your claim as soon as you know you will be out of work.
What information you will need
- Before you file your claim, please have this information handy:
- Your name, address, phone number, birth date, Social Security number and email address
- Employment information, including your job title and work location
- Reason for your claim – illness, injury or pregnancy
- Description of your illness, symptoms, and/or diagnosis. Include the date the symptoms started and if you’ve had previous symptoms
- Workers’ compensation claims you have already filed or will file
How to Apply
You can file a Long-Term Disability (LTD) claim by doing one of the following:
- Online: https://www.sunlife.
com/us/en/plan-members-and- families/submit-or-track-a- claim/ - Mail: Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, One Sun Life Executive Park, Wellesley, MA 02481
- Email: myclaimdocuments@sunlife.com
- Phone: 1-800-247-6875 M-F 8:00am-8:00pm EST
- Fax: 1-781-304-5537
Questions
Call Sun Life at 1-800-247-6875. A Sun Life representative is available to help you Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (EST).