500 PARENTAL LEAVE POLICY (CENTRAL SERVICES ONLY)


This policy provides for up to six weeks of paid parental leave to Central Services employees following the birth of an employee’s child or the placement of a child with an employee through adoption. The policy is in accordance with Church teaching on family life indicating that, by its nature, the love of husband and wife is ordered to a lifetime of communion with God and each other, with openness to creating and/or accepting a new human life into their family who they will love and care for together.

Policy:

The purpose of paid parental leave is to enable the employee to care for and bond with a newborn or a newly adopted child. This policy will run concurrently with Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave, as applicable. This policy will be in effect for births and adoptions occurring on or after 11/1/2016.

500.1 ELIGIBILITY

Policy:

Eligible employees must meet the following criteria:

Be currently employed in Central Services;

Have been employed with the Archdiocese (including any Archdiocesan parish or school) as a benefit-eligible employee for at least the 6 consecutive months immediately preceding the date the leave would begin; and,

Have given birth to a child; or,

Be the spouse of a woman who has given birth to a child; or,

Have adopted a child age 17 or younger.

500.2 AMOUNT, TIME FRAME, AND DURATION OF PAID PARENTAL LEAVE

Policy:

Eligible employees will receive a maximum of six weeks of paid parental leave for the birth or adoption of a child. A multiple birth or adoption (e.g., the birth of twins or adoption of siblings) does not increase the maximum amount of paid parental leave granted for that event.
Employees may be granted no more than six weeks of paid parental leave in a rolling 12-month period, regardless of whether more than one birth or adoption occurs within that 12-month time frame.

Policy:

Parental leave does not affect the earning and/or use of other paid leave (e.g., annual, personal, sick, short or long term disability).
Each week of paid parental leave is compensated at 100 percent of the employee’s regular, straight-time weekly pay. Employees receiving benefits having an employee contribution must continue to make that contribution during the 6 week parental leave period.

Policy:

Approved paid parental leave may be taken at any time during the six-month period immediately following the birth or adoption of a child with the employee. Paid parental leave may not be used or extended beyond this six-month time frame.

Policy:

Employees must take paid parental leave in one continuous period of leave and are encouraged to use all paid parental leave during the up to six-month time frame indicated. Any unused paid parental leave will be forfeited at the end of the six-month time frame and will not carry over.

Policy:

Upon termination of the individual employee’s employment with the Central Services department, any unused paid parental leave for which he or she was eligible is not eligible to be cashed out.

500.3 COORDINATION WITH OTHER POLICIES

Policy:

Paid parental leave will run concurrently with FMLA leave (if applicable) and will be counted toward the maximum 12 weeks of FMLA leave in a 12-month period. All other requirements and provisions under the FMLA will apply. Please refer to the Family and Medical Leave Policy for further guidance.

Policy:

After the paid parental leave is exhausted, the balance of any FMLA leave (if applicable) used by the employee may be either unpaid or compensated through the employee’s accrued sick, vacation and personal leave or by short term disability. Please refer to the Family and Medical Leave Policy for further guidance.

Policy:

Employees utilizing parental leave will remain in a benefit-eligible status while on parental leave.
If a holiday occurs while the employee is on paid parental leave, the day will be charged to holiday pay; however, the holiday will not extend the total paid parental leave entitlement.

Policy:

If the employee is on paid parental leave when emergencies occur and employees are not required to report to work, that time will be recorded as paid parental leave, and will not extend the paid parental leave entitlement.

500.4 REQUESTS FOR PAID PARENTAL LEAVE

Policy:

The employee will provide his or her supervisor and the human resource department with notice of the request for leave at least 30 days prior to the proposed date of the leave (or if the leave was not foreseeable, as soon as possible). The employee must complete the necessary forms and provide all documentation as required by the HR department to substantiate the request.