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Summary

The Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ provides paid leave to eligible Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ employees for the purpose of bonding time due to the birth of the employee’s child(ren) or the placement of a child(ren) with the employee for adoption or foster care.

To be eligible, the qualifying event must have occurred while the employee is in an eligible Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ position.

If any part of this policy does not reflect the Collected Rules and Regulations (CRR), the provisions of the CRR will govern.

HR Policy Provisions

HR-423 policy provisions below are in accordance with CRR 340.015 (Bd. Min. 9-7-22):

1. Purpose – Provide paid time away from work to bond with the employee’s newborn child(ren) or placement of a child(ren) with the employee for adoption or foster care. In adoption or foster placement cases, leave may be taken for a child under 18. However, if the adoption or foster care involves a child incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability, the age limit may be waived.
2.  Eligibility – Regular benefit-eligible administrative, service and support employees and certain non-regular academic employees as approved by the Chancellor and President.
3. Time Off Available
   
   1. Eligible employees may receive up to a total of four (4) workweeks of approved parental leave over a rolling 12-month period.
      
      1. Four workweeks are defined as a cumulative total of up to 160 hours. Employees working on the basis of 75 percent – 99 percent full-time equivalency will be eligible for prorated parental leave hours. Parents who are both eligible Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ employees may receive four workweeks each.
      2. A rolling 12-month period is defined as the 12 months measured backward from when an employee uses parental leave. With this "rolling" method, each time an employee uses parental leave, the remaining time off available is the leave balance the employee did not use during the immediately preceding 12 months.
   2. Parental leave benefits are available for continuous time off or on a reduced work schedule, with a minimum of seven (7) consecutive calendar days at a time.
   3. Employees must follow the department's procedures for requesting time off and calling in absences when on a reduced work schedule. Failure to do so may result in the Parental Leave Pay not being approved.
4. Compensation and Benefits
   
   1. Parental leave benefits provide 100% pay based on the employee’s Annual Base Benefit Rate (ABBR) when the leave begins, subject to ABBR maximums allowed.
   2. Employees requesting time off in excess of approved parental leave pay may request time off using other available leave (e.g., PTO).
   3. Additional leave of absence (LOA) information
      
      1. Employees continue to accrue paid time off (PTO) during paid LOAs.
         

         1. The period of paid and unpaid leaves of absence are counted as length of service in computing PTO accrual rates.

         2. PTO accruals become available to the employee after returning to work in an active status.

      2. Employees eligible for other available leave during approved LOAs (e.g., holiday pay, winter break pay) are eligible to receive such pay during a paid LOA. However, in no case should the combination of paid leaves exceed the employee’s base pay.
      3. During a paid and unpaid LOA, employees are eligible to continue participation in the university's employee benefit programs (medical, dental, life, vision, etc.). Employees are responsible for their portion of the premium costs for coverage to continue.
      4. During a paid LOA, employee contributions to retirement programs and other required deductions (e.g., garnishments) will continue. Voluntary deductions will continue unless approved or directed to stop by the authorizing organization (e.g., parking, union dues).
      5. Whether or not an LOA is pension credible towards vesting, service, or salary credit for members of the Defined Benefit Plan or Hybrid Plan is based on the type of leave granted (e.g., FMLA Leave or Personal Leave) in accordance with CRR 530.010. For participants in the Defined Contribution Plan, the leave period is not considered a break in service in calculating vesting service.
5. Coordination of parental leave with short-term disability or caregiver leave
   
   1. Short-term disability
      
      1. Employees who are approved for both short-term disability for the employee's own serious health condition pursuant to HR-309 and parental leave for the same qualifying reason (e.g., the birth of a child) will receive eligible pay in the following order unless otherwise requested:
         

         1. Short-term disability

         2. Parental leave

      2. Parental leave may not be used concurrently with short-term disability, including during a short-term disability elimination period, or to add to pay in addition to what is paid by short-term disability.
   2. Caregiver leave
      
      1. Employees who are approved for both caregiver leave for a serious health condition pursuant to HR-422 and parental leave for the same qualifying reason (e.g., the birth of a child) will receive eligible pay in the following order unless otherwise requested:
         

         1. Caregiver leave

         2. Parental leave

6. Procedure Information
   
   1. Employees must work with their supervisor to plan for time off due to a parental qualifying leave.
   2. Employees must submit written notification to the Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ of Missouri Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ Human Resources benefits office within thirty (30) calendar days before the anticipated need or as soon as practical.
   3. Official documentation of the need for leave is required before the approval of parental leave. Documents provided should show the date of birth or placement with the employee. Examples of official documentation include:
      
      1. Birth Certificate
      2. Adoption Order
      3. Foster care placement agreement
      4. FMLA certification
   4. Parental leave runs concurrently with other applicable leave types and is subject to approval by the Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ in accordance with applicable leave.
      
      1. Other leave types include Family and Medical Leave (FMLA) or personal leave.
      2. If applicable, time off will count against the employee’s FMLA entitlement.
   5. Parental leave may begin from when the child is placed with the eligible employee for adoption or foster care.
   6. Time off for parental leave must be recorded in the Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ’s timekeeping system as part of the regular payroll processing cycle.

See Also

CRR Section 340.015: Parental and Caregiver Leave
HR-309 Short-Term Disability Benefits
HR-407 Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
HR-422 Caregiver Leave
HR-423 Parental Leave Q&As

Date Effective: Posted 10-01-2023 with an effective date of 01-01-2024
Date Revised: