Massachusetts Society of Professors

Guarantees 12 weeks leave for illness, or for illness of spouse, child, or parent.  FMLA guarantees unpaid leave but MSP has won the right to paid leave through the sick leave bank.

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 provides up to 12 weeks of job-protected, unpaid leave during any 12-month period. To be eligible, employees must have been employed by the University for at least 12 months and must have worked at least 1250 hours during the 12 month period immediately preceding the leave.

An employee must provide certification from a health care provider for a serious health condition of the employee or the employee’s immediate family member, using the FMLA Medical Certification Form.  When the leave is foreseeable and the employee has provided at least 30 days notice, the employee should provide the medical certification before the leave begins.  When this is not possible, the University allows fifteen calendar days following the request for leave for the employee to obtain the medical certification.

To Apply for FMLA leave:

1. Notify your chair or dean in writing of your need to take leave and the dates your are requesting. Sending an email is fine and should include the information in the HR Medical Leave Request Checklist. (*see #3 for modification to checklist process)
2. Have your health care provider or the health care provider treating you or the individual you are caring for fill out a  Certification of Health Care Provider for Employee or a Certification of Health Care Provider for Family Member form.
3. Submit the completed Certification of Health Care Provider form to your Human Resources representative in the Dean's office in person or via secure OneDrive link. Please do not send medical information via email. *Department chairs or deans do not have access to confidential medical information and you do not need to include the Certification of Health Care Provider form or disclose medical information in your request to your Chair or Dean.
4. If you do not have enough accrued sick time to cover your leave (your paycheck will show your hours of sick leave), include with your request for leave a statement that you wish to apply for time from the MSP Sick Leave Bank.