Who is eligible?
All professional research staff with appointments of one year or more, or who have more than one year of consecutive service, will be eligible for paid parental leave. If an individual’s appointment ends during a period of approved leave, the leave and any benefits associated with the leave will not continue beyond the individual’s last date of employment.
How will the Professional Research Staff Paid Parental Leave work, and how do I apply?
Professional Research Staff must make arrangements with their direct supervisor and and HR Business Partner in conjunction with their department to apply for Paid Parental Leave.
How can I use UVA paid parental leave?
Professional Research Staff with appointments of one year or more, or who have more than one year of consecutive service, may request up to eight weeks of leave with full pay or sixteen weeks of leave at half-pay upon a qualifying parental leave event, either through the birth, adoption, or placement of a child, or the assumption of legal guardianship for a child under eighteen years of age.
In addition to the period of paid leave, the Professional Research Staff member may request an additional four weeks of unpaid parental leave.
Parental leave must be completed within six months of the date of the qualifying parental leave event. If the parents of a child (birth, adoptive, foster, or legal guardian) are employees working in the same department, unit, or program, the Professional Research Staff member may be required by their school or unit to stagger or otherwise coordinate their paid and unpaid parental leave so as to minimize the disruptive effect of leave on the department or unit.
How will Professional Research Staff, who have standard hours of less than 40 within a work-week, be able to use paid parental leave?
This benefit will be applied proportionate to the 40 standard hours actually worked. Accordingly it will be proportionate with the FTE % within the employee record. For example, an employee whose budgeted hours are 20 hours per week, would have his / her benefit at 20 hours per week for eight (8) weeks.
How will UVA Paid Parental Leave work with Short-Term Disability?
UVA Paid Parental Leave and Short-Term Disability are separate benefits and employees will not be able to receive both of these benefits at the same time. For Professional Research Staff who give birth, any approved paid parental leave could be taken after any paid leave as a result of short-term disability.
For Short Term Disability, see the Disability Benefits page for the appropriate vendor.
Can UVA Paid Parental Leave be charged to sponsored programs?
For federal grants subject to the Office of Management and Budget’s Uniform Guidance, parental leave is an allowable cost provided that the institution has a policy that is consistently applied across all fund sources; the University’s policies addressing Parental Leave will meet this requirement. If the sponsor’s terms and conditions do not allow for Parental Leave costs, the employee’s unit must cover the proportionate compensation cost from non-sponsored sources.
Do I have to pay UVA Paid Parental Leave from my sponsored program funds?
If you have another source of funds available to you, those funds may be used in lieu of sponsored program funds. Otherwise, if it is an allowable cost it must be charged to the sponsored program in proportion to the employee’s normal pay schedule. If the sponsor’s terms and conditions do not allow for Parental Leave costs, the employee’s unit must cover the compensation cost for parental leave from non-sponsored sources.
Can a supervisor deny Parental Leave due to a lack of identifiable funds, sponsored or non-sponsored?
No, supervisors are not permitted to deny an eligible employee’s request for Parental Leave due to lack of funds. A supervisor unable to identify adequate funding should consult first with the Department Chair, then the Dean’s Office. Human Resources may be available for consultative support.
Will compensation paid for Parental Leave be included on effort reports delivered through Effort@UVA?
Yes, it will be included in effort reports. However, anticipated long absences, including parental leave must be considered before committing effort on sponsored projects.
I am a key person on a sponsored program and will be eligible for parental leave during the period of performance. My use of parental leave may delay completion of the research or scholarly work. What should I do?
Discuss your parental leave plans with the PI on the grant. If the PI agrees that your parental leave is likely to delay progress on the sponsored program, the PI will contact the departmental research administrator and OSP to determine whether or not to request an extension from the sponsor.
Will graduate research assistants (GRAs) paid from sponsored programs be eligible for Parental Leave?
Pursuant to PROV-028, Financial Childbirth Accommodations for Graduate Students on Assistantship, eligible GRAs who give birth, including those supported on grant funds, receive full wages associated with their support for six weeks. In addition, GRAs have certain rights and protections under Title IX; the University’s Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights can provide information on Title IX protections.
How is the new UVA Paid Parental Leave program being administered in the context of the Employment of Professional Research Staff?
See UVA Policy HRM-033.