Parental Leave

All benefit-eligible staff with at least one year of service and faculty who have completed one academic year may receive paid Parental Leave benefits.

The University is committed to supporting employees with supplemental parental leave for eligible employees who temporarily relinquish their duties following childbirth, adoption, or the state placement of a foster child in their home. This policy is designed to provide a reasonable and fair period of paid leave.

Parental Leave Policy:

View the full policy here.

How to apply:

How to apply:

    1. Review the parental leave policy.
    2. Complete the Parental Leave Form and send to urhr@richmond.edu.
    3.  Contact New York Life at 1-888-842-4462 to file a claim.
  • Expectant mothers will file for FMLA, Short-Term Disability and Parental Leave
  • Parents who are adopting or fostering will file for FMLA and Parental Leave
  • Short Term disability and/or Parental Leave is taken concurrently with FMLA leave (i.e. if eligible for FMLA, FMLA begins at the same time as STD then Parental leave and run concurrently for a total of 12 weeks).
  1. Further leave (Staff ONLY): If you require medically necessary leave beyond STD and/or parental leave, you may use available sick time, or available vacation time.
    • New York Life will notify HR, the employee and the employees manager  when parents  have been approved for short term disability and or parental leave

  2. While on STD/FMLA (approved or pending) staff/managers must enter time (ie. sick, vacation) to receive 100% pay.

    Once the STD is approved the University will pay staff 66 2/3%. Employees may continue to use accrued sick/vacation (paid at 100%) until exhausted or may choose to save their accrued leave and be paid at 66 2/3%. At this point, the employee must notify HR who will enter the 66 2/3% payment into WD.

    While on approved Parental leave the employee will automatically be paid so no need to enter time.

  3. Medical Coverage: To add a dependent, you must do so within 30 days of the birth/adoption go in Workday. Please note that dependents can be added to the Portal at any time but can only be added to benefits coverage during Open Enrollment or a qualifying Life Event. 

 


Married Couple Rule

If both spouses are employed by UR, the combined FMLA for the following reasons shall not exceed 12 weeks during any 12-month period.

  • For the birth of a child or to care for a child after birth
  • For placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care, or to care for the child after placement
  • To care for the employee’s own parent with a serious health condition. (Care for in-laws is not covered.)
  • The combined total FMLA available to eligible spouses for caring for a covered service member with a serious illness or injury, bonding leave, for placement of a child for adoption or foster care, to care for a child after placement, and to care for the employee's parent with a serious health condition, is 26 weeks during any 12-month period.
  • Where spouses use a portion of the total combined FMLA leave entitlement for any of the above reasons, the spouses would each be entitled to the difference between the amount he or she has taken individually and 12 weeks for FMLA leave for other purposes.