Parental Leave
Parental Leave provides five (5) days of paid leave to benefit-eligible employees
who are welcoming a newborn or newly placed/adopted child. Parental Leave can only be used in the first six (6) months after birth
or placement/adoption. To be eligible, parents must be on approved FML for birth or placement/adoption.
Parental Leave is a unique leave that is separate from all other paid leaves.
Benefit-eligible and on Family Medical Leave (FML)
To be eligible for parental leave, employees must be in a benefit-eligible position (on-contract in a paid status) and on approved FML
for the birth, placement, or adoption of their child.
Represented Employees
Represented employees should refer to their respective Collective Bargaining Agreement
or reach out to their union representative.
No Additional Paperwork - Apply for FML Only!
Outside of applying for FML, there is no further application required by the employee
to receive Parental Leave. Ӱɴý HR will review all active FML and load the five (5)
days of paid leave automatically.
Communication from Benefits
After the benefits team determines an employee is eligible, a NextGen form will be
generated by the benefits department. Employees will receive a copy of a NextGen.
No action is needed from the employee on this form.
The form will outline the start and end of this leave along with how many hours are available.
Check your Balance!
Employees can also check their balance at anytime at by going to "Employee Services" > "Time Off Current Balances and History."
Five (5) Day of Leave
An eligible employee will receive five (5) days of parental leave. This equates to
40 hours for an employee who works 8 hours per day. Hours will be prorated based
on the employees FTE.
Earnings Code 605
To use parental leave, employees will use earnings code 605 on their time sheet.
Automatic Cascade
If an employee uses earnings code 605 and there are no Parental Leave hours to pull
from (either because the employee is not approved or the hours have exhausted) the
earnings code will automatically cascade through sick leave, annual leave and faculty
time off, personal holiday, and then to leave without pay.
Expiration of Leave
Parental Leave is available for the first 6 months after birth, adoption, or placement.
Unused leave will not be available after the expiration date, it will not roll over,
and employees cannot donate or transfer this leave to another employee.
Parental Leave is set up to cascade through paid leaves. If you use Parental Leave before the balance is populated, Parental Leave will automatically pull from available sick leave, annual leave or Faculty Time Off, any applicable personal holiday, and finally leave without pay. If there are questions about when an employee's Paid Parental Leave begins and ends, please reach out to ua-benefits@alaska.edu.
Parental Leave is set up to cascade through paid leaves. If an employee uses Parental Leave and is not eligible, Parental Leave will automatically pull from available sick leave, annual leave or Faculty Time Off, any applicable personal holiday, and finally leave without pay.
Yes.
If each parent is (1) in a benefit-eligible position and (2) on approved FML for the birth, placement, or adoption of the child, then they will receive their own entitlement of Parental Leave.
Represented employees should refer to their respective Collective Bargaining Agreement or reach out to their union representative.
No. Parental Leave is non-transferrable.
No. Parental Leave cannot be cashed out.
No. Parental Leave does not have a monetary value (such as annual leave). It is not paid out upon separation.
Yes. The Parental Leave earnings code (605) is available on all employee time sheets. However, the leave will only be loaded if an employee qualifies.
If an employee selects this leave on a time sheet and does not have a Parental Leave balance, Parental Leave will automatically cascade through sick leave, annual leave or Faculty Time Off, any applicable personal holiday, followed by leave without pay.
Employees will receive a copy of a NextGen form that Benefits and Payroll complete together. This form will show the start date and end date for Parental Leave. The balance of Parental Leave hours is available on > “Employee Services” > “Time Off Current Balances and History.”