Medical Leave
Purpose
Medical leave is absence to care for a personal serious health condition, as confirmed by the employee's Healthcare provider. Faculty should review the Faculty Leave webpage for more information.
Eligibility
Staff who have at least a year of service at Northwestern University AND who have worked at least 1,250 hours within the past continuous 12 months, are eligible for The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to coincide with their medical leave. FMLA provides certain employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year. It also requires that their group health benefits be maintained during the leave.
Employees who are not eligible for FMLA should contact the Benefits Division to discuss their options. In some instances, they may be referred to our Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance to request medical leave as an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Provisions
Holding the job
For FMLA eligible employees, the job is held for up to 12 weeks in any 12 month period. In the case of intermittent leave or a reduced work schedule, the job is held for the time equivalent of 12 weeks of the employee's work schedule. If department operations permit, the employing department may hold the job beyond 12 weeks. Employees must use their accruals of Incidental Sick, PFH and vacation time to remain in pay while on this type of leave. Once you have exhausted all paid time, then unpaid Excused Absence is used
Staff members who need additional leave but have lost job protection by exhausting their FMLA and/or EST, should contact our Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance to request additional leave as an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Pay
Benefits eligible staff who have at least six months of continuous service with Northwestern University are eligible for Extended Sick Time (EST) benefits. EST pays out at 100% of the employee's salary, after satisfying a seven consecutive day wait period. Incidental Sick Time (IST), vacation, and personal floating holiday time can be used to cover the seven day wait period. EST benefits do not apply to intermittent medical leaves.
If a staff member is not eligible for EST, they must use their own Incidental Sick Time, vacation, and personal floating holiday time to receive pay during their leave. Once this time is exhausted, the remainder of the leave would be unpaid.
Benefits
An individual on a paid medical leave will continue to have benefits coverage. The University continues to pay the employer contribution during a medical leave. If enrolled in the dependent care flexible spending account (DCFSA) this benefit is frozen until the individual returns from leave. The dependent care FSA can only be used when the employee is actively at work. Commuter benefits are temporarily terminated when on a leave of absence. These can also only be used when the employee is actively at work. The deadline to make changes to commuter benefits is the 5th of the month prior. Please make any necessary changes prior to that deadline. For additional question on the commuter benefits, visit the commuter benefits page.
Unpaid leave
An individual on an unpaid leave will be billed for benefits coverage. The employee does have the option to waive some or all benefits while on an unpaid leave. This is done in myHR after the leave of absence is entered into the system and processed. The dependent care flexible spending account (DCFSA) is temporarily frozen during a leave of absence. Commuter benefits are temporarily terminated when on a leave of absence. This benefit can only be used when the employee is actively at work. The deadline to make changes to commuter benefits is the 5th of the month prior. Please make any necessary changes prior to that deadline. For additional questions on the commuter benefits, visit the commuter benefits page.How to apply for medical leave
On January 1, 2025, Northwestern transitioned the administration of leave benefits to MetLife. Faculty and staff with a leave beginning before January 1, 2025, will continue to work with The Hartford for their Extended Sick Time (EST), Long-term Disability (LTD), and Birth/Adoption Parental Leave (BAPL) claims. Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Military Leave claims will be tracked by MetLife starting January 1, 2025, even if your leave began before this date.
Leave Starting Before January 1, 2025
The faculty and staff member must contact The Hartford to apply for FMLA and/or EST/BAPL benefits as soon as possible. Instructional faculty should also inform their Dean's office of their leave requests for academic planning purposes. You can reach The Hartford at 1-888-541-7283. View the step-by-step process of applying for a leave. Once your claim has been assigned to a claim administrator at The Hartford, you can request to speak to this person directly by scheduling an appointment online. The Hartford will manage your EST/BAPL even if the benefit is paid in calendar year 2025. You will not need to contact MetLife unless you need FMLA in 2025 that has not been approved by The Hartford by the end of this calendar year.
Leave Starting After January 1, 2025
The faculty and staff member must contact MetLife to initial their leave request, even if they have already contacted The Hartford prior to 1/1/2025. You can contact MetLife to initiate your claim by calling 1-800-396-8876 or online via MetLife’s MyBenefits website at mybenefits.metlife.com. See MetLife guide on how to file claim online.