Support and FAQs

  • Leave requests must be made 30 days in advance of leave date, when anticipated. 
  • Unplanned leaves must be requested as soon as possible.
     

Request Leave Through AggieService

 
Who Can Submit a Leave Request?
  • Employees should submit their own leave request
  • If needed, the employee’s Direct Supervisor can submit a leave request on their behalf
     
Next Steps After Submitting Leave
  1. The Leaves team specialist assigned to the case will contact the employee and their supervisor to coordinate the leave process, provide appropriate information/forms and review paid leave options.
  2. The employee should work with the department, as possible, to schedule the leave to cause the least amount of disruption to the department.


FAQs

Disability Benefits 

FMLA 
  • Eligibility
  • Employee must have at least 12 months of university service (need not be continuous) and at least 1,250 hours actually worked in the 12-month period immediately preceding commencement of the leave (hours worked include overtime but do not include holiday, vacation, sick leave, or other paid leaves).
  •  Timeline
  • 1. LOA SERVICES NOTIFIES EMPLOYEE OF ELIGIBILITY AND RIGHTS
      - Provides notification within five (5) business days of receipt of leave request; requests medical certification of the need for leave.
    2. EMPLOYEE PROVIDES APPROPRIATE MEDICAL CERTIFICATION
      - Employee provides certification within 15 days of receiving their Notice of Eligibility, or notifies LOA Services if extra time is needed. If certification is unclear or incomplete, LOA Services requests additional information.
    3. LOA SERVICES PROVIDES EMPLOYEE WITH DESIGNATION NOTICE
      - Within 5 business days of employer receiving sufficient information regarding qualification of leave, LOA Services provides written notification of designation, disability filing instructions, benefits contact, and return to work information to the employee.

During Leave 
  • How do I get paid?
  • Continuous leave request for an employee’s own serious health condition:
    - Career employees may file a disability claim with UC’s disability carrier Lincoln Financial. 
    - You must meet a waiting period using your accrued Sick leave before Lincoln Financial may begin disability payments. 
    - If you choose not to file a claim with Lincoln Financial, you may use your Sick & Vacation accruals in accordance with your collective bargaining agreement or personnel policy. 
    - Per Diem employees that are eligible for Core benefits may also file a disability claim with Lincoln Financial. 
    - Lincoln Financial disability payments are issued biweekly on a schedule determined by Lincoln Financial.
    Please note: The LOA team will process your Ecosystem time cards during your leave of absence, and your manager will continue to approve your time cards on the regular approval dates. You are not responsible for managing your time card during your leave of absence.
  • What about State Disability Insurance (SDI)?
  • UC Davis Health does not participate in SDI. However, if you have been with UC for less than 18 months or if you have a second job that pays into SDI, then you may be eligible to file a claim with EDD in addition to filing a claim with Lincoln Financial. Contact the EDD office for questions related to SDI eligibility & benefits: [Link]
  • How do I get paid for intermittent requests?
  • - You may use your Sick & Vacation accruals in accordance with your collective bargaining agreement or personnel policy.
    - Your department will be responsible for tracking the intermittent absences.
    - If you are on an approved Intermittent FML and you cannot report to work due to your own or approved family member serious health condition, follow your department’s call-in procedure and pay type; please indicate that your absence is FML.
    Note:  If you are on an approved Intermittent FML and you cannot report to work due to your own or
    approved family member serious health condition, you are required to follow your department’s call-in procedure and pay type please indicate that your absence is FML.
  • What happens to my benefits while on leave and on UC pay status?
  • While on UC pay status (i.e. Sick Leave, Vacation/PTO, UC Pay for Family Care and Bonding (PFCB), or Academic Paid Medical Leave):
    - Health and Welfare benefits continue while on leave with pay just as if you are regularly
    working.
    - Your regular employee cost for premiums will continue to be deducted from your paychecks.
    - UC continues to pay the regular UC contribution of the premiums
  • What happens to my benefits while on leave and without pay from UC but on leave under a statutory leave entitlement?
  • - UC continues to pay the regular UC contribution to your medical, dental and vision insurance
    while on the following statutory leave entitlements:
    • Pregnancy Disability Leave (POLL)
    • Family and Medical Leave (FMLA)
    • California Family Rights Act (CFRA)
    - You are responsible for your regular employee cost for premiums just as you would if you were working. UCPath will send you a Benefits Billing Statement detailing payment amounts and due dates. You may submit payments online via the UCPath Benefits Billing Portal or pay by check.
  • What happens to my benefits while on leave and without pay from UC and receiving Short-Term Disability Insurance benefits from Lincoln Financial but your leave is not under a statutory leave entitlement:
  • - If you are receiving Short-Term Disability benefits from Lincoln Financial, you are eligible for the UC contribution to your medical insurance for up to six months.
    - You are responsible for dental and vision premiums, if any, along with your regular employee cost for your medical insurance premiums. UCPath will send you a Benefits Billing Statement detailing payment amounts and due dates. You may submit payments online via the UCPath Benefits Billing Portal or pay by check.

    Note: Enrollment and premiums for Voluntary Short-Term and/or Voluntary Long-Term Disability are
    waived while on leave with or without pay and will be reinstated by UCPath upon return to work. 
  • What happens to my benefits while on leave and without pay from UC and not under a statutory leave entitlement or receiving Short-Term Disability?
  • You are responsible for full premiums (including UC contribution portion) for medical, dental and vision insurance along with your normal employee costs. UCPath will send you a Benefits Billing Statement detailing payment amounts and due dates. You may submit payments online via the UCPath Benefits Billing Portal or pay by check.

    Note: Enrollment and premiums for Voluntary Short-Term and/or Voluntary Long-Term Disability are
    waived while on leave with or without pay and will be reinstated by UCPath upon return to work. 
  • When are Benefits Billing invoices sent by UCPath?

  • UCPath will send Benefits Billing invoices for the current month of coverage (for example, an
    employee will receive a January 1 invoice for their January benefits coverage.) For further assistance, login to UCPath and click "Ask UCPath".  Payments can be made online at the Benefits Billing Portal. 

    Note: Depending on the duration of your leave without pay (i.e. less than a month), you may not receive a Benefits Billing statement and UCPath will reconcile any missed premiums upon your return from leave.

  • What happens to my Health and/or Dependent Care Flexixble Spending Accounts while on leave?

  • Your options for the Flexible Spending Accounts depend on the type of leave. Please refer to the following Summary Plan booklets for detailed information.

    Health Flexible Spending Account Plan Summary

    Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account Plan Summary

  • How do you extend your leave?
  • - Employee notifies department and LOA if any change in return-to-work date is anticipated.
    - If a leave extension is needed, the employee should notify the department and LOA as soon as possible and must provide an updated medical certification to LOA services for the extension one week before the original return-to-work date.

Returning to Work 
  • How do I confirm my benefits enrollments upon return to work?

  • Review your benefits within 31 days of your return to work or pay status to verify your benefits enrollments are accurate. Prior plan enrollment in Basic Disability, Voluntary Short-term Disability, and/or Voluntary Long-Term Disability is automatically reinstated upon return from approved leave of absence.

    To view your enrollments, go to your Benefits Summary on the UCPath Portal.

    UCPath will complete a review and reconciliation of your benefit enrollments upon your return from leave and notify you if any premium adjustments are needed. This may take up to 60 days to complete.

    If you were on unpaid leave for 4 consecutive weeks or more, you may be able to purchase UCRP service credit for your unpaid period. For more information, see the UCRP Service Credit Purchase Guide.

    For questions or assistance with you benefits enrollments, contact UCPath. For help with this process, view the instructions to Ask a Question in UCPath. 

  •  Who do I contact for benefit enrollment verification and to restart benefits not continued during the leave?

  • Contact UCPath within 31 days of return from leave or to pay status for benefit enrollment verification and to restart benefits not continued during the leave. Submit an inquiry using the "Ask UCPath" button on the UCPath portal or call 855-982-7284.  

    If your unpaid leave was less than 120 days, you may re-enroll yourself (and your eligible family members) in the same plans as before your leave. After an unpaid leave of 120 days or more, you may enroll yourself and eligible family members in any UC-sponsored plans for which you are eligible.

    If you canceled any benefits during your leave of absence, you have a 31-day Period of Initial Eligibility (PIE) to reinstate coverage or make any changes, if eligible.

  • How do I return to work with restrictions?
  • - If you have received a return to work with restrictions, ensure that you and your department have reviewed, completed, and returned the Temporary Accommodation Form.
    - If your department is unable to accommodate your restrictions, contact Disability Management at dmshelp@ucdavis.edu: [Link] 
  •  

 

 

 

 

Additional Support