Medical Leave

Medical leave is an absence to care for a personal serious health condition, as confirmed by the employees healthcare provider.

Eligibility

Under Minnesota state law, staff and faculty employees at Macalester College may be eligible for job-protected, partially paid Medical Leave if they have worked 50% or more of the year in the state of Minnesota and have earned at least 5.3% of Minnesota’s average annual wage over the previous 52 weeks.

Leave Details

Pay

• Staff employees are able to use available vacation time, sick time, and floating holiday while on their approved Medical Leave. When a Macalester designated holiday falls during an employee’s FMLA leave of absence, the employee will receive the holiday pay but that day(s) will count towards the employee’s FMLA hours. If an employee is on a intermittent leave of absence, the employee must work the day prior and after the holiday to not have the holiday’s counts towards FMLA.
• Faculty employees with an FTE of 0.50 – 0.74 receive a 1-course release and 12-weeks of fully paid medical leave.
• Faculty employees with an FTE of 0.75 – 1.00 receive a 2-course release and 12-weeks of fully paid medical leave. 

Duration

Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Minnesota Paid Leave, eligible employees are entitled to up to 12 weeks of leave, equivalent to their regular working schedule, within a 12-month period. This leave can be taken in one continuous block or, if needed, in smaller segments (intermittently), depending on the reason for leave and approval.

Benefits

If an employee is approved for Medical Leave they will continue to have benefit coverage in accordance with the Family Medical Leave Act and/or Minnesota Paid Leave. Insurance premiums, which are collected through payroll deductions will continue when the employee is receiving pay. If the employee is on an approved Medical Leave and is not receiving pay, they will owe Macalester for benefits employee contributions which will be coordinated at the time the approved leave of absence has ended.

Job Protection

Under Minnesota Paid Leave, after 90 days of employment employees jobs are held for up to 12 weeks in any 12-month period. In the case of intermittent leave or leave taken through a reduced work schedule, the job may be held for the time equivalent to 12 weeks of their regular work schedule.