University of Wisconsin–Madison

Medical Leaves

This page serves as a resource to assist employees of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) in understanding leave options that may be available to them if they need to take time off work for medical or family reasons.

Contact Us

smph-fmla@med.wisc.edu

Paid Parental Leave Policies at UW–Madison

On July 1, 2024, the university implemented new Paid Parental Leave policies to provide eligible employees with up to 6 weeks (240 hours/pro-rated for part-time employees) of paid parental leave within a rolling 12-month period for the birth or adoption of a child:

  • Paid Parental Leave Policy applies to eligible Faculty, Academic Staff, University Staff, Limited appointees, Graduate Assistants (holding positions of Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant, Project Assistant (including Reader/Grader), and Lecturer), and Post Degree Training Research Interns
  • Postdoc Absence With Pay (Parental) Policy applies to eligible Employee-In-Training appointments (Research Associate, Postdoctoral Fellow, Postdoctoral Trainee)

These policies reflect the University’s commitment to supporting the well-being of employees and their families at an important time in their lives. For more information about the policies, including eligibility criteria and FAQs, please visit the Paid Parental Leave webpage. For questions about your specific leave needs and/or leave options, please contact the SMPH Leave Specialist/Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) at smph-fmla@med.wisc.edu.

Important to note: To request time off for the birth or adoption of a child and to request the UW Paid Parental Leave benefit, employees must complete and submit the Paid Parental Leave Request Form (DOCX) directly to the SMPH Leave Specialist/Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) at smph-fmla@med.wisc.edu at least 30 days before the leave starts.

Leave Options

Employees who need to take time off work for more than five working days or on an ongoing basis for certain medical or family reasons should contact the SMPH Leave Specialist/Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) at smph-fmla@med.wisc.edu to learn about their leave options.

FMLA and WFMLA

As an institution, once we are aware that an employee may need leave for a covered reason (e.g., employee’s own serious health condition) under the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and/or Wisconsin Family and Medical Leave Act (WFMLA), we are legally required to inform them of their eligibility under the W/FMLA and provide them with a copy of the Notice of Employee Rights and Responsibilities under the FMLA (PDF). This is because W/FMLA are legal leave entitlements that provide unpaid, job protected leave for eligible employees. Employees can use any type of paid leave (vacation, sick, etc.) they have to cover the time they are out on leave that is formally approved under the W/FMLA so that they continue to receive their full pay.

Employees who are not eligible under the W/FMLA may be eligible for other leave options under UW leave policies.

Comparison of FMLA and WFMLA Laws

For additional information on FMLA and WFMLA, including eligibility requirements and leave entitlement, refer to the Family & Medical Leave Information Guide (PDF).

Federal Family and Medical Leave Act

Under FMLA, eligible employees have the right to take up to 12 weeks (480 hours/prorated for part-time employees) of unpaid, job-protected leave* for the following reasons:

  • Birth of a child
  • Placement with employee of a child for adoption or foster care
  • Employee’s own serious health condition
  • To care for a family member with a serious health condition
  • A qualifying exigency for a military family member on covered active duty
  • To care for a covered service member with a serious injury or illness

Wisconsin Family and Medical Leave Act

Under WFMLA, eligible employees have the right to take unpaid, job-protected leave* for the following reasons:

  • Employee’s own serious health condition – up to 2 weeks (80 hours/prorated for part-time employees)
  • Caring for a family member with a serious health condition – up to 2 weeks (80 hours/prorated for part-time employees)
  • Pre-birth bonding, birth of a child, or adoption – up to 6 weeks (240 hours/prorated for part-time employees)

*While leave designated under W/FMLA is unpaid, employees may substitute accrued paid leave (vacation, personal holiday, sick leave, ALRA, etc.) so they continue to receive pay while on leave. If you have questions about your leave balances, pay or benefits, contact your divisional Payroll & Benefits Coordinator.

How to Request Leave

To request time off work for a medical of family reason, complete and return the appropriate leave forms (see below) to the SMPH Leave Specialist at (608) 234-4401 (confidential fax) or smph-fmla@med.wisc.edu (confidential e-mail) at least 30 days before the leave is expected to start. As a designated Divisional Disability Representative (DDR), the SMPH Leave Specialist is responsible for maintaining confidential medical information for all SMPH employees.

Refer to the Medical and/or Parental Leave Checklist for information on both employee and employer responsibilities before, during, and after an employee is approved for a leave of absence.

Medical and/or Parental Leave Checklist

Employee Responsibilities

How to request medical and/or parental leave:

For Physicians Dually Employed by SMPH and UWMF:

Once medical/parental leave is approved and leave starts:

  • Enter absences as they occur or you will not get paid. If you can’t, contact your supervisor right away for entry and approval of your time off.
  • Time Off Intentions Questionnaire: Will be prompted to complete in Workday to identify whether you plan to use paid leave to remain in paid status while on leave or not.
  • Continuous leaves longer than 30 days: Will be prompted to complete Benefits Intentions Form in Workday to identify which benefits to continue or lapse while on leave.

For parental leaves:

After baby arrives and/or is placed for adoption:

Preparing to return from leave:

  • Submit Return to Work Authorization Form at least 2 business days before your return to work date if you’re:
    • On continuous leave for own medical condition, or
    • Gave birth and plan to return before 6 weeks (natural birth) or 8 weeks (caesarean birth).
  • To extend medical/parental leave, contact SMPH Leave Specialist at smph-fmla@med.wisc.edu as soon as possible. Updated medical documentation is required to extend medical leaves.

Employer Responsibilities

SMPH Leave Specialist

  • After learning employee may need leave, send information about eligibility under W/FMLA and leave request process within 5 business days.
  • Review leave request and paperwork, including medical documentation (if applicable). Process & send leave approval to employee, supervisor, HR Business Partner, and Payroll & Benefits Specialist.
  • Enter and return employee from medical/parental leave of absence in Workday.

SMPH Payroll & Benefits Specialist

  • Consult with the employee about:
    • Benefits
    • Paid Leave Balances
    • Type of leave (paid or unpaid) being used
    • Any issues with timely absence entries

Supervisor

  • Sign Parental Leave Request Form, Medical Leave Request Form, and Leave Without Pay Request Form if department approval is required
  • Review and approve employee absence entries timely to ensure payment
  • Track employee leave usage on WFMLA/FMLA Tracking Spreadsheet and return to smph-fmla@med.wisc.edu after leave ends
  • Delegate employee’s Workday tasks to others as needed

Confidentiality

All medical information is confidential (including leave request statuses and employee eligibility for FMLA) and can only be shared on a “need to know” basis.  Access to confidential medical information is restricted. Only Divisional Disability Representatives (DDRs) are authorized to handle and retain medical information for employees.

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Required

wdt_ID Form To be Completed by: Additional Information
1 Medical Leave Request Form (PDF) Employee Not required for parental leave requests for the birth or adoption of a child
2 Certification of Health Care Provider for Employee's Serious Health Condition under the Family and Medical Leave Act (PDF) Employee’s Treating Specialist Required if leave is for employee's own serious health condition
3 Certification of Health Care Provider for Family Member's Serious Health Condition under the Family and Medical Leave Act (PDF) Family Member’s Treating Specialist Required if leave is for the care of a family member with a serious health condition
4 Return to Work Authorization Form (PDF) Employee’s Treating Specialist Required for employees returning from continuous leave:
-For their own serious health conditions, or
-Before 6 weeks (natural birth) or 8 weeks (caesarean birth) after giving birth.

Due at least 2 business days prior to their expected return to work date. We want to ensure employees are able to safely return to work and that we are in line with any medical restrictions they may have. Employees may be sent home if they do not provide a complete and sufficient Return to Work Authorization Form.

Optional

wdt_ID Form To be Completed by: Additional Information
5 Leave Without Pay or Temporary Assignment Request Form - Academic and University Staff (PDF) Employee Only required if employee plans to take leave without pay.

Supervisor signature of approval is required.

Choosing to take leave without pay may affect employee's benefits, including health insurance and allocation of paid leave. We encourage employees to contact the Office of Human Resources – Benefits Services at 608-262-5650 or benefits@ohr.wisc.edu to discuss payment of premiums and any other questions related to their benefits and allocation of paid leave.
6 Leave Without Pay or Temporary Assignment Request Form - Faculty (PDF) Employee Only required if employee plans to take leave without pay.

Supervisor signature of approval is required.

Choosing to take leave without pay may affect employee's benefits, including health insurance and allocation of paid leave. We encourage employees to contact the Office of Human Resources – Benefits Services at 608-262-5650 or benefits@ohr.wisc.edu to discuss payment of premiums and any other questions related to their benefits and allocation of paid leave.

To request time off for the birth or adoption of a child and to request the UW Paid Parental Leave benefit, employees must complete and submit the Paid Parental Leave Request Form directly to the SMPH Leave Specialist/Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) at smph-fmla@med.wisc.edu at least 30 days before the leave starts. 

Required Forms

wdt_ID Form To be Completed by: Additional Information
1 Parental Leave Request Form (DOCX) Employee Required for employees requesting time off for the birth or adoption of a child and the UW Paid Parental Leave benefit

*Employees requesting time off for the placement of a foster child will need to complete the Medical Leave Request Form instead.

Optional Forms

wdt_ID Form To be Completed by: Additional Information
5 Leave Without Pay or Temporary Assignment Request Form - Academic and University Staff (PDF) Employee Only required if employee plans to take leave without pay.

Supervisor signature of approval is required.

Choosing to take leave without pay may affect employee's benefits, including health insurance and allocation of paid leave. We encourage employees to contact the Office of Human Resources – Benefits Services at 608-262-5650 or benefits@ohr.wisc.edu to discuss payment of premiums and any other questions related to their benefits and allocation of paid leave.
6 Leave Without Pay or Temporary Assignment Request Form - Faculty (PDF) Employee Only required if employee plans to take leave without pay.

Supervisor signature of approval is required.

Choosing to take leave without pay may affect employee's benefits, including health insurance and allocation of paid leave. We encourage employees to contact the Office of Human Resources – Benefits Services at 608-262-5650 or benefits@ohr.wisc.edu to discuss payment of premiums and any other questions related to their benefits and allocation of paid leave.
7 UWMF Physician Parental Paid Leave Request Form Employee Only for physicians dually employed by UW SMPH and UWMF

Return completed form directly to UW Health HR by submitting a ServiceNow ticket or via fax 608-263-5778 at least 30 days prior to the start of the leave

Federal Entitlements

Per the Notice of Employee Rights and Responsibilities (PDF):

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 entitlement 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 post-deployment reintegration briefings.

FMLA also includes a special leave entitlement that permits eligible employees to take up to 26 weeks of leave to care for a covered service member during a single 12-month period. A covered service member 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 action duty that may render the service member medically unfit to perform his or her duties for which the service member is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy; or is an outpatient status; or is on the temporary disability retired list.

Wisconsin Entitlements

WFMLA does not have military-specific family leave provisions. However, caring for a service member/veteran may qualify as a WFMLA-eligible reason for leave.

Supervisors must maintain a leave tracking spreadsheet for each employee on approved W/FMLA leave. Once the leave ends, the supervisor must submit a copy of the leave tracking spreadsheet to the SMPH DDRs at smph-fmla@med.wisc.edu.

 Under federal and state laws, SMPH Human Resources must maintain a record of all hours of W/FMLA leave taken by W/FMLA eligible employees for at least three years.

Employees should also maintain their own leave tracking spreadsheet. Doing so will help the employee and supervisor resolve any leave usage discrepancies.

Leave Tracking Spreadsheets

Related Policies and Resources

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Contact Information

SMPH Leave Specialist

For questions about your leave options, including medical or parental leave, contact the SMPH Leave Specialist/DDR at smph-fmla@med.wisc.edu (confidential e-mail).

SMPH Payroll & Benefits

For questions about your paid SMPH leave balances, pay, or benefits, contact your SMPH Payroll & Benefits Specialist.

Office of Human Resources – Benefits Services

If you plan to take leave without pay or utilize other benefits, such as Income Continuation Insurance (ICI), during your leave, contact the Office of Human Resources – Benefits Services at 608-265-2257 or benefits@ohr.wisc.edu to discuss payment of premiums and any other questions related to your benefits and allocation of paid leave.

UWMF Health Human Resources

For physicians dually employed by SMPH and UWMF only – For questions about your UWMF benefits, contact UW Health HR by submitting a ServiceNow ticket through The Pulse or calling 608-263-6500. For questions about your UWMF salary, contact your Department Administrator.