Enhanced Parental Leave Policy for Administrators

Policy Statement

Fordham University will provide twelve (12) weeks of an Enhanced Parental Leave (EPL) benefit  to eligible Administrators, which is a pay supplement to the statutory New York State Paid Family Leave (NYPFL) benefit.

The purpose of this policy is to provide eligible Administrators with an opportunity to bond with a child without a reduction in pay for twelve (12) weeks within the first twelve (12) months of the child’s birth, adoption, or fostering.

Responsible University Office/Officer

Responsible Office – Office of Human Resources Management

Responsible Officer – Gulay Siouzios, Director of Labor and Employee Relations

Applicability of the Policy

This policy is applicable to all eligible University Administrators who are enrolled in NYPFL coverage, and who meet the minimum service requirements specified in the New York State Paid Family Leave policy.

Policy Text

If an Administrator qualifies for NYPFL benefits during the first year after the birth of a child or within the first year of an adoption or foster placement of a child, when applying for same through the University’s third party administrator using the procedures as set forth in the New York State Paid Family Leave Policy, the Administrator shall be entitled to full salary and benefits for twelve (12) weeks of leave, when the Administrator assigns their NYPFL payment to the University for those twelve (12) weeks (this process will be facilitated by the University’s Third-Party Administrator.)

In the event two Administrators have, or adopt, or will be fostering a child together, and both work at the University, both parents are entitled to this benefit. If the parties both work in the same department, they may not take the leave at the same time if the department does not believe it can sustain customer service levels and/or if University responsibilities and obligations will suffer if both employees are absent at the same time.

Eligibility 

Administrators become eligible to take EPL for a qualifying event once they have met the minimum time-worked requirements as below:

  • Administrators who work a regular schedule of 20 or more hours per week are eligible after 26 consecutive weeks of employment.
  • Administrators who work a regular schedule of less than 20 hours per week are eligible after working 175 days, which do not need to be consecutive. Administrators with irregular schedules should look at their average schedule to determine if they work, on average, fewer than 20 hours per week.

Procedure for Applying for Enhanced Parental Leave along with Paid Family Leave

The EPL program is administered by the University’s insurance provider and third party administrator (TPA). The TPA will assign  an employee’s statutory NYPFL benefits to Fordham and facilitate salary continuation at full pay for up to twelve (12) weeks. 

It is the responsibility of the employee to timely submit their requests for EPL/PFL benefits directly to the TPA. Please follow the steps below to apply for NYPFL benefits:

  1. Provide Notice to Supervisor and Human Resources: Employees must provide at least 30 days’ advance notice to their supervisor and the Office of Human Resources Management at [email protected] of their intent to use NYPFL/EPL, if it’s foreseeable. If the event is not foreseeable, the employee must provide the notice as soon as possible. 
  2. Submit Application for NYPFL/EPL to the University’s TPA: 

Employees can submit an application for NYPFL/EPL to the TPA, currently MetLife.

a) Call MetLife customer service support desk at 1-888-762-2347 between 8 a.m. – 11 p.m. ET Monday through Friday; or

b) Apply online at www.metlife.com/mybenefits (employees will have to create an account if they are accessing the site for the first time.)

Employees may need to provide and/or verify the following information: 

a) Personal Information: mailing address, phone number, SSN, employee ID number, job title, workplace location, work schedule, supervisor’s name and phone number, and date of hire;

b) Type of Leave: child bonding - natural birth, adoption or foster care; and   

c) Anticipated Leave Schedule: last day worked, leave start date, anticipated return to work, phone number, and mailing address.

3) TPA Review: The documentation submitted by the employee is reviewed by Fordham’s TPA who is required to provide a pay or deny decision within 18 calendar days of receiving the completed request for NYPFL/EPL or the employee's first day of leave, whichever is later. 

Currently, employees can check the status of their claim at any time by visiting www.metlife.com/mybenefits or by calling MetLife customer service support desk at 1-888-762-2347 between 8 a.m. – 11 p.m. ET Monday through Friday.

If the claim is denied, employees will receive notification from MetLife indicating the reason for the denial. The notification will also include contact information of MetLife’s claims representative to whom employees can informally dispute the decision prior to seeking arbitration. 

Relationship with Other Leaves

Employees who are eligible for EPL may receive only a combined amount of twelve (12) weeks of benefits in a 52-week consecutive calendar period.

EPL will run concurrently with leave under the NYPFL and FMLA where the reason for leave qualifies under all. In these cases, employees will be required to comply with all applicable employee requirements (e.g., application, certification, notice, etc.) under all policies. Accordingly, employees should also review and refer to the University’s FMLA Policy. If an employee’s leave qualifies under both NYPFL and FMLA, but the employee declines to apply for NYPFL benefits, any leave taken by the employee for such a reason will be counted against the employee’s NYPFL allotment.

Protection from Discrimination and Retaliation

The University will not discriminate or retaliate against any employee for inquiring about, applying for, or using EPL benefits.  If you feel that you may have been discriminated or retaliated against for requesting or taking Enhanced Parental Leave, please contact the Office of Human Resources Management at [email protected].

Fraud

An employee who fraudulently obtains EPL or who uses EPL in an improper manner, is subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

Questions

The University’s TPA, MetLife has representatives available at  1-888-762-2347 between 8 a.m. – 11 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday for assistance with EPL and NYPFL questions. Questions regarding this policy can also be addressed to the Office of Human Resources Management at [email protected] or by calling (718) 817-4930. 

 

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