FMLA Employee Eligibility

At the university, benefits eligible employees are eligible as long as they meet the following requirements: 

  1. Have at least 12 months of employment (need not be consecutive) with UMass Amherst; and
    1. Have worked at least 1,250 hours for UMass Amherst during the 12 months prior to the start of the FMLA leave; and
    2. Have not exhausted your current FMLA entitlement.

Two employees who are married and work for the university are entitled to a total of 12 weeks of FMLA leave to care for a child following birth or placement for adoption or foster care, and bonding.

What Qualifies for FMLA?

  • Employee has a serious health condition
  • Employee needs to care for a family member (parent, spouse, or child) with a serious health condition
  • Employee is unable to work for reasons related to pregnancy, prenatal medical care, or childbirth
  • Employee is a new parent (this includes mothers, fathers, same-sex spouses) and you are taking leave to bond with your newborn, newly adopted child, or newly placed foster child
  • Employee needs to care for an armed services member who has become seriously injured in the line of duty; or for an emergency due to a family member’s active duty; or call to active duty in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces

How will Pay and Benefits be impacted?

Unpaid leave has a specific impact on benefits even while on approved leave, including, but not limited to:

  • Sick and vacation time do not accrue while on unpaid leave (exception: Workers Compensation)
  • Income for holiday and Campus Closure days may be impacted
  • While on approved, unpaid Family/Medical leave an employee remains eligible for GIC insurance benefits. The GIC invoices the employee at home the premium that would have been payroll-deducted. Timely payment of premium is critical to secure continued coverage.
  • Creditable service toward retirement from the MA State Employees’ Retirement System is impacted. 
  • For employees whose position is subject to overtime – salary step date is impacted. 

For questions regarding benefits while on unpaid FMLA leave, please contact the Benefits team at AskHR.  

FMLA leaves of absence (both intermittent and continuous leaves) are tracked on a calendar year basis (January 1 – December 31).