Unpaid Leave

Human Resources representatives, including HR Business Partners and Employee Relations Consultants, may work with departments to determine if Administrative Leave with full, partial, or no pay is appropriate in certain circumstances. Employees will be notified of any determinations by their department. 

Human Resources representatives, including HR Business Partners and Employee Relations Consultants, may work with departments to determine if Administrative Leave with full, partial, or no pay is appropriate in certain circumstances. Employees will be notified of any determinations by their department. 

The Medical Center provides eligible team members with time off with or without pay for a variety of approved absences. Please see policy 600 to confirm which Administrative Leave reasons include pay. 

Human Resources representatives, including HR Business Partners and Employee Relations Consultants, may work with departments to determine if Administrative Leave with or without pay is appropriate in certain circumstances. Employees will be notified of any determinations by their department. 

This policy includes time off for victims of a crime to attend court appearances. Please note, if you are a victim of a crime and need time off for court appearances related to the crime, you may also be eligible for a job protected leave status for those appearances, please contact UNUM to apply for this leave. Their number is 866.269.0979.

Educational leave offers faculty the opportunity to pursue new knowledge, techniques, and experiences upon supervisor, dean, or vice president approval. Educational leave may be approved as leave without pay - or partial pay - for up to two years.

Educational Leave for Medical Center Team members can be granted with approval of the supervisor for a variety of reasons. 

Requests for leave will be evaluated based on a number of factors, including anticipated workload requirements and staffing considerations during the proposed period of absence.

In order to apply for Educational Leave, team members should submit the Personal and Educational Leave Request Form to their supervisor as soon as eligible employees become aware of the need for Personal or Educational Leave.

Educational Leave is an unpaid leave; however, per PTO Policy 315 team member must exhaust their own PTO before becoming eligible for Leave Without Pay. 

Classifed Staff, University Staff, and Faculty members covered by the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) are entitled to unpaid leave for the following circumstances:

• Birth of a child
• Addition to the family through adoption or foster care
• Care for a family member (child, spouse, or parent) with a serious health condition
• A serious health condition that makes you unable to do your job

See additional information regarding FMLA eligibility and how to apply.

Other circumstances may apply for Leave Without Pay (LWOP) due to illness in the event staff are not eligible for FMLA.

Medical Center Team members may be eligible for leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which is an unpaid leave.

Team Members may choose to use their PTO if they are approved for Short Term Disability. For FMLA without STD Medical Center Team members must use their PTO prior to taking an unpaid leave 

Medical Leave of Absence: The Medical Center may grant a medical leave of absence for personal illness or disability. This policy applies to team members who are not eligible for leave under the FMLA, or who have exhausted their rights under FMLA.

This leave is unpaid if PTO has been exhausted or Short Term Disability has not been approved. 

Contact UNUM to apply for Medical Leave. 866.269.0979

Personal Leave of Absence: An unpaid leave of absence available, with approval of the team member's supervisor, to care for an ill or disabled family member for team members are not eligible for FMLA. 

This leave is unpaid if PTO has been exhausted or Short Term Disability has not been approved. 

Complete the Personal Leave Request form and provide it to your supervisor. Your supervisor will send the completed form to leave@virginia.edu for formal notification. 

In addition to leave covered by the FMLA, faculty members may be eligible for general Family Leave or additional Parental Leave.

Family Leave: A faculty member who is tenured, tenure-track, or non-tenure-track with an appointment of one year or more, may request leave (with partial pay or without pay) for up to one year if unable to carry out assigned duties. Family leave may be approved to care for a child, spouse, or other disabled or elderly adult.

Additional Parental Leave: A faculty member who is taking paid parental leave may also request an additional four weeks of unpaid parental leave. During the four weeks of unpaid parental leave, the University will pay no salary but will contribute the employer's portion of any allowable health and life insurance premiums, so long as the faculty member continues to pay the employee’s share of the premium. During these four weeks, the University will not make contributions to the faculty member’s retirement benefit plan.

The University of Virginia Physicians Group may grant a medical leave of absence to employees who need to take time off from work duties due to personal illness or disability, and are not eligible for leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Approval of Medical Leave is discretionary. Please see this policy for details.

UPG employees on FMLA are required to use accrued PTO to cover the absence. When PTO is exhausted, an employee on approved FMLA will be placed on leave without pay. When the absence is an approved short-term disability, STD benefits provide 70% income replacement.

For more details, see:

• The Family Medical Leave Act page
• The Short-term Disability section on the UPG Benefits page

See Policy 4.50 for details of pay while on leave.

Military Leave provides up to 120 hours (15 days) of paid leave for active duty or military training. Service beyond 15 days requires Leave Without Pay.

Active military who require Leave Without Pay and would like to request supplemental pay should provide their department with a Military Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) as soon as possible.

Leave without pay for military reasons is usually limited to a period of 12 consecutive months. It may be extended up to an additional 48 consecutive months - if you receive a normal discharge, and up to 48 months if you are hospitalized.

To apply for Military Leave, notify your supervisor of your leave dates and contact UNUM at 866-269-0979. 

Faculty called to military duty need to contact UNUM to apply for Military Leave by calling 866-269-0979. The leave status is unpaid; however, pay options are available. Please work with your department and reach out to the leave team for additional questions about the pay process, leave@virginia.edu. 

UPG will comply with the requirements of USERRA. In the event that you need to be away from work for active military duty, please contact Human Resources.

Pay During Leave

Regular full-time, part-time and flex staff employees will be granted up to fifteen (15) workdays (120 hours) of Military Leave with pay in a federal fiscal year (October 1 – September 30) while engaged in active military duty or state or federally funded military training. In addition, the employee will be paid up to eight (8) hours for pre-induction and other physical examinations required for military service. Employees may elect to use all or part of their available Paid Time Off (PTO) leave balance or be placed on Leave Without Pay (LWOP) for the portion of any Military Leave in excess of fifteen (15) workdays.

Employees who have completed their probationary period and are called to active duty military service in the Armed Forces of the United States and on Military LWOP are eligible to receive Active Military Supplement pay if their gross military salary plus allowances is less than their Medical Center base salary. The employee will receive payment of the difference.

A faculty member who is tenured, tenure-track, or non-tenure-track with an appointment of one year or more, may request leave for personal reasons other than those already specified. Personal leave may be granted (with partial pay or without pay) for up to 2 years.

Personal Leave for Medical Center Team members can be granted with approval of the supervisor for a variety of reasons. 

Requests for leave will be evaluated based on a number of factors, including anticipated workload requirements and staffing considerations during the proposed period of absence.

In order to apply for Personal Leave, team members should submit the Personal Leave Request Form to their supervisor as soon as eligible employees become aware of the need for Personal or Educational Leave.

Personal Leave is an unpaid leave; however, per PTO Policy 315 team member must exhaust their own PTO before becoming eligible for Leave Without Pay. 

Requested non-state employment of vital importance to the State and/or national welfare, of up to 12 months, requires approval of the University VP, Chief Human Resources Officer for University Staff, and State Director of the Department of Human Resource Management.