9-Month Professionals, Professional Faculty, Instructional Faculty, & Postdocs Leave

University Sick/Disability and Paid Dependent Leave Plan

Revised September 30, 2024

Eligibility

Open to all 12-month Professional employees, 9 and 12 month Instructional and Post doc faculty. 

Eligible employees may elect to participate in William & Mary’s University Sick and Disability and Paid Dependent Leave Plan at their time of hire. This plan allows full pay for up to 696 hours for personal or family/dependent medical leave. (Faculty leave is equivalent to a full-semester) Employees who enroll in the Optional Retirement Plan (ORP) are automatically enrolled in this plan.  

Employees who use all or any portion of the initial 696 hours of paid leave, shall be credited with up to a maximum of 174 hours of paid leave at the beginning of each subsequent year. However, eligible employees may not accumulate or use more than 696 hours of paid leave during any year (12-month professional employees -January 10–January 9) and (9- and 12- month faculty and postdocs - based on contract).  For example, an employee uses 100 hours, leaving them with a balance of 596 hours, the employee will be credited with 100 hours bringing the leave balance back to 696 hours.  

Conditions

When employees utilize William and Mary’s University Sick and Disability and Paid Dependent Leave Plan for more than ten working days (cumulative) they must report their leave on their time sheet and receive approval from University Human Resources.

The following kinds of dependent care may qualify for up to 696 hours of paid leave:   

• care for an ill or injured family member (“family care”) 

• care for the employee's child due to a medical need, including a stepchild, under the age of one care for the employee's newly adopted child under the age of seven during the first year of adoption without regard to illness or injury (“newly adopted childcare"). 

• Paid leave for family care, infant care or newly adopted childcare leave is available only when the employee is the person who primarily provides for the physical care of the family member, infant, or newly adopted child. When practicable, paid leave for infant care or newly adopted childcare should be taken within one semester.  

• Disability leave associated with pregnancy and dependent care leave may be combined, provided that the total paid leave does not exceed 696 hours; except under exceptional circumstances and subject to approval by the provost, instructional faculty leave must be taken during a single semester for a single pregnancy/birth. 

• If both parents of a child hold faculty/professional appointments, each faculty/professional member may use the amount of leave each has accrued at the time of birth for adoption, family care of a child, infant care and newly adopted childcare leave. 

When to Use W&M Sick and Disability and Paid Dependent Leave 

An eligible employee may qualify for sick and disability benefits if they experience an illness, surgery or accidental injury that requires them to be absent from work more than seven (7) calendar days for personal or family medical leave. 

Aapproval Process for William and Mary’s University Sick and Disability and Paid Dependent Leave Plan: 

Employees should contact University Human Resources to discuss leave plan eligibility and to learn more about the required medical documentation needed for approval.  To schedule an appointment with University Human Resources to discuss your leave and receive medical forms, please email AskHR@wm.edu or call 757-221-3169.   

Virginia Sickness and Disability Program (VSDP)

 Revised September 30, 2024

Eligibility

Professional employees, 9- and 12-month faculty members and postdocs who participate in the Virginia Retirement System (VRS), can elect  to enroll in the Virginia Sickness and Disability Program (VSDP) rather than the William & Mary University Sick and Disability and Paid Dependent Leave Plan. VSDP provides eligible employees with income security when they cannot work due to a partial or total disability. 

The program includes sickness, family, and personal leave; short-term disability; long-term disability and a long-term care program.  VSDP benefits cover non-work related and work-related conditions.  This sickness and disability leave program provides employees supplemental or replacement income during periods of partial or total disability.

Alight, the state disability coordinator, determines short-term disability eligibility.  The length of the medical absence depends on the employee's medical needs and required care. 

 Employees must satisfy a one-year waiting period from date of hire, to be eligible for short-term and long-term disability; as well as long-term care.  Only participants who elect VRS as their retirement plan are eligible to participate in the VSDP plan. 

 Access the VSDP Handbook for more information. 

If you choose the Virginia Retirement Plan, you may choose to enroll in the Virginia Sickness and Disability Program (VSDP) rather than the university's Long Term Disability plan. VSDP provides eligible employees with income security when they cannot work due to a partial or total disability. The program includes sick, family and personal leave; short-term disability; long-term disability and a long-term care program. VSDP benefits cover non-work related and work related conditions. Employees must satisfy a one year waiting period to be eligible for short-term and long-term disability; as well as long-term care. Only participants who elect VRS as their retirement plan are eligible to participate in the VSDP plan.

Access the VSDP Handbook for more information.

This sickness and disability leave program provides employees supplemental or replacement income during periods of partial or total disability.

New Employee Sick and Family/Personal Leave

This leave does not carry over. The following set hours will be initially credited on your first day of employment.

Full-Time or Quasi Full-Time:

Part-Time:

Annual Renewal of Sick and Family/Personal Leave

This leave does not carry over. VSDP leave is credited as follows on January 10 each year.

Full-Time or Quasi Full-Time:

Part-Time:

When to Use Sick Leave vs. Family and Personal Leave

Sick leave may be used if you are sick or injured, or for medical appointments. Your supervisor may request the proof of any illness requiring the use of sick leave. Family and personal leave can be used for any reason, such as but not limited to vacation, personal sickness, or sickness or death of a family member.

When to Use Disability Leave

A VSDP eligible employee may qualify for short term disability benefits if they experience an illness, surgery or accidental injury that requires the employee to be absent from work more than seven (7) calendar days.

Note: Employees with VSDP must call Alight at 877-928-7021, the state disability administrator to initiate disability benefits as well as University Human Resources to complete forms. To schedule an appointment with University Human Resources regarding your absence, please contact [[AskHR]].

Parental Leave

Provided to employees who are enrolled in VSDP upon the birth or placement of a child to allow time for bonding. Up to 320 leave hours may be available for eligible full-time employees to use within 6 months of the birth or placement. Detailed information about the program is available in the parental leave frequently asked questions page.

Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) (pdf) is a law entitling eligible employees to take unpaid leave in certain situations where the employee, or a member of the employee’s immediate family, suffers a qualifying injury or illness. An eligible employee is an employee who has been employed for at least one year, and who has worked 1,250 hours within the previous 12-month period. The required 1,250 hours do not have to be worked during consecutive months. The hours of work requirement applies to the 12 months immediately preceding the start of leave date.

Eligible employees are entitled to 12 weeks of unpaid FMLA leave, which is equivalent to 480 work hours, or 60 workdays.

Rodney Franks Bereavement Leave Fund 

The Rodney Franks Bereavement Leave Fund (Bereavement Leave) was established to honor the memory of Rodney Franks. Rodney, who joined William & Mary in 2011, was working in IT as the manager of Client Services – Frontline when he passed away unexpectedly in 2024. The loss of Rodney was felt throughout the William & Mary community. Rodney played an important role on Staff Assembly and one of his main goals was to ensure that the university offered bereavement leave.  This leave fund was established in his name to honor his intention. 

The loss of a family member is a deeply emotional and challenging time. In recognition of this, William & Mary is committed to providing support and flexibility to navigate these tough times. The President has approved a bank of bereavement hours to be used each fiscal year.  This resource is intended to provide additional support to employees who may face financial hardship if they need to take time off work to grieve the loss of a loved one.

Eligibility: 
The employee is employed full-time or part-time in a benefits-eligible position at William & Mary as of the date of the request for Bereavement Leave. Eligible employees will have exhausted all their Annual and VDSP leave to be eligible for paid bereavement leave hours. 

The request for leave must be due to: 

• pregnancy loss (by the employee, their spouse, or their partner) 
• death of a member of the eligible employee’s immediate family, which includes the following persons: 
  • parents (including stepparents, in-laws, and in loco parentis (a person who stood in place of a parent). 
  • spouse or partner 
  • children (including step, adoptive, foster child or ward, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law) 
  • siblings (including stepsiblings, siblings-in-law) 
  • grandparents 
  • grandchildren 
  • any person residing permanently in the eligible employee’s household 

 How to request leave 
 
Employees and supervisors are strongly encouraged to work together so that an employee can take time off to grieve the loss of their immediate family member.  While the fund is in active status the following guidelines will apply:  

• Requests for Bereavement Leave shall be submitted to the employee’s immediate supervisor as soon as the employee is aware of the need for leave. Supporting documentation may be requested by the supervisor or University Human Resources (UHR) as part of the approval process.  The supervisor should also verify that the employee does not have any Annual or VSDP Leave. After approval from the supervisor, the supervisor should submit an email to AskHR to request Bereavement Leave on behalf of the employee.  Once processed, the employee will be notified, and instructions will be provided on how to complete their timesheet.  
• Employees are eligible to take up to two days (exempt employees) or shifts (non-exempt employees) with a maximum of 16 paid hours of Bereavement Leave for days they are scheduled to work, in the event of the death of an Immediate Family Member, once per fiscal year. Example: An employee who works eight (8) hours per shift shall be compensated with a maximum of sixteen (16) hours for Bereavement Leave. An employee who works twelve (12) hour shifts shall be compensated with a maximum of sixteen (16) hours for Bereavement Leave.  
• Bereavement Leave is paid at the employee’s base hourly rate, not to include shift differential or any other variable pay amounts.  
• Bereavement Leave is prorated according to the employee’s classification. Example: A part-time hourly employee assigned as a .5 FTE shall be compensated for four (4) hours per day, a maximum of eight (8) hours for Bereavement Leave.  
• Employees shall take the paid Bereavement Leave within seven (7) calendar days of death or the funeral/memorial service of an Immediate Family Member.  
• Hourly and temporary employees may request time off without pay in the event of the death of an Immediate Family Member.