Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon Portland Community College

People Strategy, Equity, and Culture

Leave of Absence

Eligible employees: May include full-time and part-time: Faculty, Classified, Managerial, Academic Professionals and Confidentials. Eligibility for protected leave is subject to federal and state eligibility standards. See references below.

Download the Request for Leave of Absence or contact Benefits. Please note: If you are a full-time Faculty member, you also must submit a revised Faculty Annual Work Schedule, showing the number of Faculty Days you expect to complete this contract year. If you are requesting a medical leave for yourself or an immediate family member, you must have your health care provider complete a certification form.

References

Employee Procedures for Requesting a Leave of Absence

Complete the upper portion of the Leave request. Give it to your supervisor when you talk with him/her about the time you will be away from work. Your supervisor will sign the form and send to it Benefits (benefits-group@pcc.edu).

You will receive a letter from Benefits explaining the details of your leave, any reporting requirements, the impact of the time off on your pay and benefits and any additional paperwork needed. Even if you do not routinely submit a timecard, you must submit timecards reporting your absences while on leave. If you need help with your timecard, contact your Payroll Specialist.

If the leave is for your own medical condition, you must provide a Fitness for Duty release to return to work. This release must include any restrictions or limitations you have in performing your job. A release to return to work is not required if the Leave of Absence is for a family member’s health condition.

Manager/Supervisor Procedures for Processing

Discuss the length of time and conditions of the requested leave of absence with the employee. Refer the employee to the information above. If an employee is not able to initiate the leave of absence process, contact Benefits immediately. It is your responsibility to ensure timecards are correctly submitted for all employees on leave of absence. If you have concerns or questions regarding the leave, please contact Benefits.

After meeting with the employee and determining the reason for the leave, sign the request form indicating your knowledge of the request. Enter a date when the employee is to contact you regarding return to work. Please note: If the request is for medical leave, remind the employee that medical certification is required for final approval by Benefits. If the request is for medical, parental or bereavement leave, sign the form and forward it directly to Benefits (benefits-group@pcc.edu, Downtown Center 321; Fax: 971-722-5604). If the request is for personal leave, sign the form and forward it to your College Executive for approval. Then send the form to Benefits.

Copies of Benefits communications to employees will be sent to you for your records. Under federal regulations, all medical records are confidential and protected. Please do not review or make copies of medical information; instead, please send directly to Benefits.

Contact Benefits with questions about leaves of absence.

Oregon Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML)

The Oregon Paid Family Medical Leave Act (PFML) was passed in 2019 and employees are able to apply for paid leave benefits starting September 3, 2023.

The State allows for employers to opt out of the state-run program and provide an equivalent plan to their employees. PCC opted out of the State plan and selected Standard Insurance Company (The Standard) to administer our equivalent plan.

The benefits of an equivalent plan are as follows:

  • Faster claims processing for employees in their time of need
  • Shared contributions DO NOT begin until September 2023
  • Consistent claims processing in alignment with FMLA, OFLA, and LTD when applicable.
  • Responsive and personalized customer service options

The PFML program is funded through a cost share model. The leave insurance program imposes a 1% tax on all payroll (except Federal Work Study) shared between the employee and the employer (60% paid by the employee and 40% paid by the employer). This model reflects the fact that this is your benefit, for you to take the time you need for a qualifying event with pay; that is partially funded by your employer. PCC will start paying the employer portion of the tax and will start applying the .6% tax on employee paychecks beginning with the September 15, 2023, bi-weekly paycheck and the October 2, 2023, monthly paycheck.

You should report an absence to The Standard if you’re absent from work or know you’ll be absent from work for any of the following reasons:

  • Your own serious health condition, including pregnancy.
  • Bonding with a child in the first 12 months after birth, adoption, or foster care placement.
  • Caring for a qualifying family member with a serious health condition.
  • Safe leave related to the employee, or employee’s minor child or dependent, experiencing assault, domestic violence, harassment or stalking.

To file a claim with The Standard, call 1-866-756-8115.

You are also responsible for adhering to your department’s absence reporting procedures, and the PCC leave request procedures.

PFML Resources

Types of Family and Medical Leave of Absence

Family and Medical Leave Act and Oregon Family Leave Act

PCC employees may be eligible for the federal Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA), or both. If eligible for both, FMLA and OFLA leaves run concurrently.

To be eligible for FMLA, an employee must have worked for a total of at least 12 months and have worked at least 1,250 hours during the 12-month period immediately preceding the leave.

To be eligible for OFLA, an employee must have worked for a period of 180 calendar days immediately preceding the date leave begins and have worked an average of 25 hours per week during the 180-day period. There is no average hours requirement for OFLA parental leave. Employees need only have worked for a period of 180 calendar days immediately preceding the date parental leave begins.

See FMLA and OFLA websites for additional eligibility information.

Reasons for Family and Medical Leave of Absence

Medical (self)

The employee’s own serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the functions of their job, including incapacitation due to pregnancy. An employee should submit a completed Request for Leave of Absence at least 30 days prior to the beginning of a foreseeable need for leave. If that is not possible, then as much notice as practicable is required. The leave form should be given to the Supervisor for signature and forwarded to Benefits. The employee is expected to return to work as soon as they are able, as determined by the physician. The employee must provide a Fitness for Duty release to return to work. This release must include any restrictions or limitations the employee has in performing the job. Additional medical certification is required to extend a medical leave of absence.

Medical (family)

Care of an employee’s family member as defined by law, with a serious health condition. Under FMLA, family members include spouse, child, stepchild, parent and stepparent. Under OFLA and PFML, “Family member” means covered individuals spouse or domestic partner; child or the child’s spouse or domestic partner; parent or the parent’s spouse or domestic partner; sibling or stepsibling or the sibling’s or stepsibling’s spouse or domestic partner; grandparent or the grandparent’s spouse or domestic partner; grandchild or the grandchild’s spouse or domestic partner; and any individual related by blood or affinity whose close association with a covered individual is the equivalent of a family relationship.

An employee should submit a completed Request for Leave of Absence form at least 30 days prior to the beginning of a foreseeable need for leave. If that is not possible, then as much notice as practicable is expected. The leave form should be given to the Supervisor for approval and forwarding to Benefits. An employee may also be required to furnish medical certification of the health condition to qualify for leave.

Sick Child (OFLA only)

Care of a sick child with an illness or condition that requires home care, but is not a serious health condition.  An employee must give verbal notice of the absences but must submit a completed Request for Leave of Absence within 3 days of returning to work. If the employee takes more than 3 days of sick child leave a year, medical certification of the need for the leave may be required at the employer’s expense.

Parental

Care of newborn infant, newly adopted child, or newly placed foster child. In adoption and foster care, leave may begin before taking physical custody if it is needed to complete the custody process. An employee should submit a completed Request for Leave of Absence form at least 30 days prior to the anticipated leave date. The leave form should be given to the supervisor for signature and forwarded to Benefits.

Bereavement (OFLA only)

Attend funeral or memorial service, make necessary arrangements and grieve the death of a close family member. An employee must give verbal notice of the need for leave within 24 hours and must submit a completed Request for Leave of Absence within three days. For more information, contact Benefits (benefits-group@pcc.edu).

Frequently Asked Questions

I’m going on a vacation. Do I need to fill out a leave of absence request?

No, but you do need to have your Supervisor or Manager approve the dates you want to be away from work. Some departments have a form available for this purpose, others request a written notice. For more information, refer to your bargaining unit agreement.

My supervisor already knows I will be gone for a month because of surgery, or I have just returned to work after an emergency operation that kept me off of work for 4 weeks. Why do I have to fill out a leave of absence request?

A Leave of Absence ensures that:

  • You are in compliance with PCC policy and bargaining agreement requirements.
  • You receive notification of impacts on your pay or benefits while you are away from work and get help accessing additional services such as Medical Leave Bank, Long Term Disability, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Life Insurance Accelerated Benefits, COBRA, etc.
  • You can return to the same or an equal job, provided your time off qualifies as protected leave under federal and/or state laws.
  • You are protected from future questions about your absence during this time period or concerns about excessive absenteeism.
  • Your Payroll Specialist is able to process your time card in a timely fashion and accommodate your compensation requests within the guidelines of the bargaining agreement and labor laws.
I hurt myself at work and have completed the Workers’ Compensation Claim form. Do I still need to fill out a leave request?

If you will be away from work for more than 3 working days, you should complete a Request for Leave of Absence. For more information, see Workers’ Comp.

What if I don’t know how long I will be gone?

The end dates for a leave of absence can be modified by contacting your supervisor or HR. Leave requests cannot be processed without an anticipated end date. You and your physician need to determine a reasonable length of time for you to be away from work. You are expected to contact your supervisor prior to your scheduled return to work to confirm that you will be able to resume working. If you are able to return to work sooner than anticipated, you should contact your supervisor at least two days prior to your return. If you will be gone longer than originally expected, your leave may be eligible for extension with the approval of your supervisor and HR.

How can I tell if I will run out of accrued pay?

You can estimate your accrued leave by looking at your leave accruals on MyPCC.  Once you have completed a Request for Leave of Absence, HR will send you a letter with your pay and benefit information.

If a paid holiday happens while I am on leave, will I be paid for the holiday?

Full-time Classified staff: You will receive holiday pay for holidays falling during an approved leave of absence if you have paid leave on the scheduled work days before and after the holiday.

Part-time Classified staff: You will receive holiday pay for your normally scheduled work hours that fall on a holiday.

All other employees: You will receive holiday pay for holidays falling during an approved leave of absence.

My family member is sick and I need to be there to help care for them. What do I have to do?

You may use a maximum of three days sick leave to care for an immediate family member (parent, parent-in-law, step-parent, brother, sister, son, daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, husband, wife, domestic partner, grandparent, grandchild or other person residing in the employee’s household). A leave of absence is not required, but you need to discuss the circumstances with your supervisor. If you need to be away from work for more than 3 working days to care for an eligible family member as defined by law, who has a serious health condition, you must complete a Request for Leave of Absence and obtain a medical certification form

How long can I be on a leave of absence?

Leaves of absence from PCC may be granted for up to one year under certain circumstances. If you are unable to return at the end of the year, your employment with the College may be terminated. Qualifying leaves of absence are protected under federal and state law for up to 12 weeks within one year.

Do I turn in a time card when I am on a leave of absence?

Yes. Payroll needs to know whether the leave is to be paid or unpaid, and if you are using accrued sick, vacation, comp time or incentive hours.

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