University leaves of absence (ULOA) are available to eligible employees for medical, personal or educational reasons. ULOA may cover leave requests that do not qualify under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and may be taken when additional time is needed after the expiration of an FMLA leave. The total leave time including FMLA, sick, vacation, other accrued time and personal days may not exceed one year.
There are three types of ULOA available.
A university medical leave may be approved for medical reasons not eligible or otherwise covered by FMLA and/or other protected leaves.
To be eligible, an employee must be either a full-time or regular part-time (20 hours or more), nonbargaining employee, and have completed at least six months of continuous service. Granting of a university medical leave is a sole discretionary determination by the university.
A university personal leave may be approved for personal reasons and is subject to departmental approval.
To be eligible, an employee must be either a full-time or regular part-time (20 hours or more), nonbargaining employee, and have completed at one year of continuous service. Granting of a university personal leave is a sole discretionary determination by the university.
A university military leave may be approved for an employee ordered to duty as part of military reserves or the National Guard.
Any employee who is called to or enlists for active duty in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, Public Health Service commissioned corps, and the reserve components of these services and the National Guard, in response to call-ups to aid with our nation’s security and defense needs, automatically shall be granted a leave of absence in accordance with the provisions of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, for up to five (5) years. This leave can be extended if the national emergency continues beyond that period.
To apply, log in and navigate to TUportal > Staff Tools tab > Employee Dashboard channel. Scroll down to Additional Links and select Leave of Absence Request; or call our office at 215-926-2282. Upon our office receiving your completed application, we will contact you within five (5) days as to the decision of your leave request.
Temple University requires employees to use all unused sick time when appropriate under the leave policy, vacation, other accrued time and personal times. When an employee exhausts all paid time off, the balance of their leave becomes unpaid.
Employees covered by a union and, therefore, a collective bargaining agreement or contract should consult the agreement for additional information. In cases in which university policy and an agreement are in conflict, the provisions of the agreement will supersede.
An employee who takes time off under university medical leave for their own illness/injury will be required to submit to our office a physician’s release to return to work before returning to work. The release must be completed by the employee’s health care provider (HCP). The release to return to work confirms that the employee is able to return to work with the ability to carry out all the essential functions of their job.
If an employee’s HCP is recommending a return to work with limitations, the release must document the employee’s ability to return to work and detail the recommended limitations. The release document must be submitted 10 days prior to the employee’s scheduled return date. The Absence Management Department will review and determine the university’s ability to accommodate the work limitation(s).
An employee may not return to work without submitting a complete release to return to work to the Absence Management Department. Failure to return to work as scheduled may constitute a violation and result in sanctions as outlined in the Rules of Conduct.
Below are other leaves that are not federally mandated or Temple University-sponsored for which an employee may qualify. Below is information about these leaves.
Disability insurance is available to eligible faculty and staff. Plans provide a level of income replacement, as well as continued benefits plan coverage, when an employee becomes disabled and is unable to work. The level of coverage may vary depending on the employee’s job classification and/or any applicable collective bargaining agreement. If interested in enrolling in a disability plan, please contact the benefits office at benefits@temple.edu.
For questions regarding the university leaves of absence, call 215-926-2282 or email [click-for-email].
