Policy
Parental Leave covers time away from work following the birth of a child within the first year of a child’s life or within the first year following the placement of a child for adoption or foster care with the employee or the employee’s spouse, civil union partner or registered domestic partner.
Eligible Employees
Illinois State University offers Parental Leave to all eligible employees regardless of duration of employment.
Tenure Track Faculty
Non-Tenure Track Faculty
Faculty Associates, continuous and non-continuous
Civil Service employees (does not include temporary, student, or extra help appointments)
Academic Professionals, continuous and non-continuous
Leave Usage
Eligible employees taking time off following the birth of a child or placement of a child for adoption or foster care may take up to 8 weeks (40 business days) of Parental Leave. Time away must be taken on a continuous basis of no less than 5-day increments or pursuant to a reduced or intermittent schedule with departmental approval. If the eligible employee is approved for FMLA, any parental leave granted must run concurrently with that leave. For those employees who do not qualify for FMLA, additional time needed beyond 8 weeks (40 business days) will be considered for medical necessity of the employee only.
Use of Payable Time and Continuation of Payroll Deductions
Employees will be required to use available benefit time (e.g. sick, vacation, compensatory) during Parental Leave to remain in a paid status. During the time that the employee remains in a paid status, the employee will continue to accrue sick and, if applicable, vacation time as well as have normal payroll deductions for insurance and other benefits. Eligible employees who use leave on a defined schedule (continuous or reduced schedule) are permitted to access the Extended Sick Leave benefit according to the eligibility requirements outlined in policy 3.2.7 Sick Leave. Extended Sick Leave benefit usage is not available for an employee who is using time on an intermittent basis.
Employees who contributed to the Sick Leave Bank may request to draw from the bank according to the requirements outlined in policy 3.1.38 Sick Leave Bank Program.
Payroll deductions will continue during the time an employee is in a paid status. If the leave continues beyond the exhaustion of all available benefit time, the employee will be placed in an unpaid status, benefit accruals will cease, and the employee will be direct billed by the State of Illinois for insurance premiums. Failure to submit payment to the State of Illinois for premiums may result in cancellation of coverage.
Application and Documentation
Employees who would like to request Parental Leave should complete the application available on the Human Resources website. Application should be made at least 30 days in advance of intended start date for leave or as soon as practical.
Documentation to substantiate proof of relationship must be submitted for all leave requests. Below is a list of acceptable documents:
- Birth certificate (hospital issued certificate is acceptable), or
- Adoption decree or order with judge’s signature and the circuit clerk’s file stamp, or
- Petition for adoption with the circuit clerk’s file stamp
- Official placement documentation of a child for foster care
Return to Work
A release to return to work is required for the employee who gave birth if returning to work before a typical recovery period (usually 6-8 weeks following birth) or who has medical restrictions upon their return to work. Other eligible employees are not required to obtain a release to return to work after a parental leave.
For more information, please contact Human Resources at (309) 438-8311.