HR PEOPLESOFT TRAINING MANUAL - Job Processes Palm Beach County School District Leaves and FMLA DIVISION OF HUMAN RESOURCES Compensa on and Employee Informa on Services 3300 Forest Hill Blvd., Suite A 152 West Palm Beach, FL 33406
Leave of Absence - General Information A leave of absence (LOA) is permission granted by the Board, or allowed under its adopted policies, for an employee to be absent from duty for specific periods of time. When applying for a leave of absence, employees must fill out District-approved Leave Request forms. When an employee is absent from work, the employee must be on an approved leave (i.e., using sick or vacation hours, a School Board approved leave, etc.). If the employee is out using sick/vacation time or is out ten (10) days or less, consecutively, the TDE should be processed through their job site. If the employee is out for more than ten (10) unpaid days, consecutively, the employee must apply for an unpaid leave of absence. PeopleSoft Dashboard After clicking on the Human Capital Management tile on the PeopleSoft Portal page, you will see two tabs: the My Page tab which houses current menu items and the personalized Dashboard which has been setup for specific groups such as Principals, Secretaries or District Administrators. You will see quick links that are specific to your area of responsibility and you will see live reports for daily actions that may need your attention. You will see reports regarding employees who need to go out on Unpaid Leaves or employees who are expected to return from leave. As we move forward, other quick links will be added based on the needs of the group. Leave of Absence website: www.palmbeachschools.org/leaves For general Leave of Absence information, employees may contact the HR Customer Care Center via phone (561-434-8777; press 1 for HR) or via email (AskHR@palmbeachschools.org). 2
Determine Type of Leave You can assist in determining the type of leave needed by reviewing the different leave options on our Leave of Absence website. The Leave options available are listed under the appropriate Bargaining Unit/Non-Bargaining Unit headers. An additional FMLA section is provided that includes information available to all District regular employees. Leave of Absence (LOA) forms are available from the dropdown menu on the Leaves website or from the District Forms website. 3
Leave of Absence - Application 1. Once you have determined the type of leave needed, print out the Leave applications forms. 2. On the LOA website, click on the LOA Forms dropdown menu. 3. Click on PBSD 1666 to get the District Unpaid Leave of Absence Application. Form PBSD 1666 must be completed by the employee when applying for an unpaid leave. Please use the following checklist when completing the form. Employee name and EMPLID Last day worked Last sick/vacation day after last day worked Expected return date Sick leave expected return date is based on the doctor s recommendation Type of Leave Requested Employee and Principal/Department Head signature If this is a Leave extension, the following needs to be completed: Section B, with the revised expected return date Type of Leave Requested Employee signature and Principal/Department Head signature 4
PBSD 1666 - Request for Leave of Absence form 5
Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) 6
Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) - Forms The employee will need to choose the appropriate FMLA form for their situation. 1. If the Leave is for Sick or Child Care/Maternity, the employee will need to complete the appropriate District FMLA form (PBSD 2312). 2. On the LOA website, click on the LOA Forms dropdown menu. 3. Click on PBSD 2312 to get the District FMLA Application. NOTE: The forms are also available on the District Forms website and via the eforms Desktop tile within the Employee Portal. 7
FMLA Health Care Provider for Employee s Serious Health Condition (PBSD 2312) This form is required for the following: When the employee is applying for unpaid leave for his/her own illness. When the employee is applying for Child Care/Maternity Leave. NOTE: This Certification form MUST be completed and signed by the attending physician. 8
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FMLA Health Care Provider for Family Member s Serious Health Condition (PBSD 2313) This form is required for the following: When the employee is applying for unpaid leave of absence to care for an immediate family member. NOTE: This Certification form MUST be completed and signed by the attending physician. 10
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FMLA Health Care Provider for a Covered Servicemember Certification (PBSD 2314) Military Family Leave Entitlements FMLA also includes a special Leave provision that permits eligible employees to take up to 26 weeks of Leave to care for a covered servicemember during a single 12-month period. A covered servicemember is a current member of the Armed Forces, including a member of the National Guard or Reserves, who has a serious injury or illness incurred in the line of duty on active duty that may render the servicemember medically unfit to perform his or her duties for which the servicemember is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy; or is in outpatient status; or is on the temporary disability retired list. NOTE: PBSD 2314 is required to be submitted with the PBSD 1666. 12
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FMLA Military Qualifying Exigency Certification (PBSD 2315) Military Family Leave Entitlements Eligible employees with a spouse, son, daughter, or parent on active duty or call to active duty status in the National Guard or Reserves in support of a contingency operation may use their 12-week Leave provision to address certain qualifying exigencies. Qualifying exigencies may include attending certain military events, arranging for alternative childcare, addressing certain financial and legal arrangements, attending certain counseling sessions, and attending postdeployment reintegration briefings. NOTE: PBSD 2315 is required to be submitted with the PBSD 1666. 14
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Intermittent FMLA FMLA permits employees to take leave intermittently, or on a reduced schedule basis, when medically necessary for their own serious health conditions or to care for certain family members with serious health conditions. FMLA covers the employee s District paid health insurance and protects the employee s job. To be eligible for FMLA you must have worked at least 1,250 hours within the previous 12 months of the request and have been employed with us for at least one year. Intermittent FMLA is unpaid unless the employee has sick/vacation days. The employee is required to give the employer notice of his or her need for foreseeable intermittent leave, or foreseeable reduced schedule leave, at least 30 days before the leave is to begin. If treatment requires the leave to begin earlier, the employee must give notice as practical. The burden is on the employee to make a reasonable effort to schedule foreseeable medical treatments (for himself or herself, or for a family member) in a manner that does not unduly disrupt the employer s operations. When an employee applies for intermittent leave, for his/her own serious health condition the employee is required to submit a medical certification form PBSD 2312 to their employer. If intermittent leave is for scheduled treatment, the medical certification must include the dates on which such treatment is expected and the duration of the treatment. When the employee s intermittent leave is for his/her own health condition (but not for scheduled medical treatments), the certification must state that there is a medical necessity for such leave and must include a statement of the expected duration of the intermittent scheduled leave. When the employee needs to request intermittent leave to care for a family member with a serious health condition, the employee is required to submit medical certification form PBSD 2313. The family member s healthcare provider must state that the employee s intermittent leave is necessary for the care of the family member. In addition, the certification must include a statement of the expected duration and schedule of the intermittent leave. Employees need to be aware that their attendance at work may affect their benefits. According to the District s benefits guidelines, in order to remain eligible for benefits, employees must have been in a paid status the majority of the duty days in any given month. Therefore, if an employee is in an unpaid status for more than the majority of monthly work days, he/she is in jeopardy of losing their benefits. Keep in mind that for benefits purposes only, the unpaid days do not need to be consecutive in order to have an impact on benefits. This is why it s important for employees who have a qualifying reason to apply for Intermittent FMLA. 16
Processing Intermittent FMLA 1. The Employee submits a written request detailing the qualifying reason. 2. The Employee must also submit the appropriate FMLA form completed by the attending physician (PBSD 2312 or 2313). 3. The written request and the FMLA form must be submitted to the Principal/ Department Head. 4. The School/Department faxes the request to the Compensation and Employee Information Services Department (561-357-1145) to the attention of: Leaves/Annette Arriaga. 5. Once the FMLA eligibility is established, the Leave Office will contact the School/Department Administrative Assistant. 6. The School/Department Administrative Assistant will receive an Excel spreadsheet so that the employee s time used under FMLA can be tracked. NOTE: Once the Intermittent Leave has been approved, it is the employee s responsibility to notify their Principal/Department Head EACH TIME they will need to be out due to their approved Intermittent FMLA. 17
Sick Leave Transfer 1. Visit our Leave of Absence website at: www.palmbeachschools.org/leaves 2. Click on Sick Leave Trxfr on the dropdown menu. 3. Click on the appropriate form for your situation. PBSD 1791 is used when an employee is transferring time to a Family member. PBSD 2175 is used when an employee is transferring time to an eligible employee. 18
Family Member Sick Leave Transfer - PBSD 1791 This form may be used when an employee has depleted all of their sick time. The Transfer can only be made from an immediate family member. If the transfer of Leave time exceeds 24 hours, the recipient is required to also submit a medical certification. If an employee is going out on an unpaid leave after the transfer of sick days, please submit a copy of this form and all other documentation with the appropriate Leave application. 19
Sick and/or Annual Leave Transfer Request for Eligible District Employees - PBSD 2175 This form may be used when an employee has depleted all of their paid benefits time (i.e., Sick, Annual, CTA Sick Bank, Short Term/Long Term Disability). The recipient must have a serious health condition. They will need to submit medical certification for the condition. If the employee will be going out on an unpaid leave, the employee will need to submit a copy of this form and all documentation with the Leave application. 20
Submitting Leave Requests 21
Paid Leaves Sabbatical Leave: Instructional employees, after each six (6) consecutive years of satisfactory service in the District as an employee as defined in Article I, Section A, may apply for a year s leave of absence for professional academic advancement. If selected, based on contract criteria, these employees will receive half of their salary. The employee is required to submit a letter requesting the leave by May 1st for the following year. CTA Sick Bank: Instructional staff that run out of sick leave and are members of the CTA Sick Bank will need to apply directly to the CTA. If approved, the CTA will notify the District. Catastrophic Leave: Catastrophic Leave is a District benefit for illness or injury defined as a medical condition, not covered by Workers Compensation, requiring absence from work greater than fifty (50) working days of consecutive absence for a single illness or injury. The employee will be required to submit a letter and two (2) medical verifications of such catastrophic illness or injury to the District. This paid leave benefit may not be used if the instructional employee is a member of the CTA Sick Bank. Reassignment Pool Per the CTA Bargaining Agreement, a school or department must hold a teacher on Leave s position for one full year. Once the employee is out for over twelve (12) months and one (1) day, the Principal/Department Head can request that the teacher be transferred to the reassignment pool by sending an email to Annette Arriaga at annette.arriaga@palmbeachschools.org. Once the request has been approved and transferred, Annette will email you a letter to be mailed to the employee notifying them of the reassignment. Expired Leave When an employee s Leave expires and they fail to return or apply for a Leave extension, please send an email to Annette Arriaga at annette.arriaga@palmbeachschools.org. Once the email is received, Annette will email you the Failure to Return From Leave letter. The letter should, then, be sent to the employee by U.S. and by certified mail. Job Abandonment If the employee is out for more than three (3) consecutive days and has not contacted the school/department, please contact the Office of Professional Standards at (561) 434-8873/ PX 48873. If you need further assistance you may also contact the HR Customer Care Center via phone at 561-434-8777/PX 48777 (Press 1 for HR) or via email at AskHR@palmbeachschools.org. 22
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