Leave of Absence

A leave of absence occurs when an employee requests time away from work for any number of reasons: personal, medical, pregnancy disability, military, etc.

Family Medical Leave

Family medical leave is the terminology used by University of California campuses and ANR for medically related leaves which includes the Family Medical Leave Act as well as the Pregnancy Disability Leave Act and the California Family Rights Act. 

An employee is eligible for family medical leave (FML) if he/she has at least 12 months of cumulative University service and has worked 1,250 hours during the 12 months immediately preceding the commencement of the leave. The 1,250 hours must be actual hours worked.

Exception: A female employee qualifies for Pregnancy Disability Leave if she is simply:

• Employed
• Pregnant

Qualifying Reasons for Leave

An employee's own serious health condition, including pregnancy-related disability; to care of a newborn child, newly adopted child, or care of a child newly placed in foster care, or; to care for a family member (spouse, domestic partner*, child or parent) who has a serious health condition.

*Time taken to care for a domestic partner is covered by UC Policy and CFRA, but not FMLA.

How can Leave be Taken

In blocks of time, intermittently or by working a reduced schedule.

Leave Entitlement

An eligible employee is generally entitled to 12 workweeks of full medical leave (FML) in a calendar year, unless as part of a pregnancy disability, baby bonding or military leave where more time is possible. The entitlement is calculated on a prorated basis. 

Requesting a Leave of Absence

To request a leave of absence, please submit a case at Human Resources Help (SN) with the following information:

• Employee’s name and location
• Supervisor’s name
• Reason for leave
• Leave type needed (i.e., intermittent, reduced or block) – if known
• Leave start and end dates – if known
• Best method of contact for employee and/or requestor (i.e., phone number or email)

NOTE: Please do NOT provide confidential information about the employee’s injury or illness.

Catastrophic Leave Sharing Program

Leave of Absence Effect on Benefits

Taking a leave of absence may significantly impact an employee’s benefits. It is the employee's responsibility to continue benefit premiums during their leave. Employees should contact the Benefits Center at (530) 752-1774 before:

1. Starting a leave;
2. Changing to leave without pay; and
3. Returning from leave to coordinate and confirm the premium amounts, due dates and payment methods.

In many circumstances, an employee may be eligible for some type of benefit to assist them during the leave. The types of benefits (not an exhaustive list) available are:

• Catastrophic Leave – Vacation time donated to support the employee on leave
• University Paid Disability – Disability benefit accrued through the University
• Supplemental Disability – Disability benefit accrued by paying into the system

Benefits Center

As an UC ANR employee, your benefits are managed through the UC Davis Benefits Center. You can contact the Benefits Center by emailing benefits@ucdavis.edu or calling (530) 752-1774. The Benefits Center is open Monday – Friday, 8:30am-12pm and 1pm-4:30pm. More information can be found by visiting the Benefits Center website.