• Short-term Disability/Supplemental Disability

• Family and Medical Leave

• Worker's Compensation

• Short-term Disability
- Career employees are eligible for short-term disability if they become unable to work due to a totally disabling injury or illness, or pregnancy. The employee must be under a doctor’s direct and continuous care and the illness or injury must not be work-related.

- Waiting Period – For short-term disability there is a 7-day waiting period before benefits will begin (the employee is required to use up to 22 days of sick leave, if available).

- Payment – Short-term disability coverage pays 55% of the employee’s salary up to $800 per month for up to six months.

- Cost – UC pays the entire cost of short-term disability coverage for career employees.

• Supplemental Disability
- Career employees are eligible for supplemental disability if they enroll in this coverage upon hire (within the first 31 days of employment).

- Supplemental disability pays a benefit if the employee becomes unable to work due to a totally disabling injury or illness, or pregnancy. The employee must be under a doctor’s direct and continuous care and the illness or injury must not be work-related.

- Waiting Period – When enrolling in supplemental disability the employee must choose a waiting period of 7, 30, 90, or 180 days. Disability benefits will not be paid until the waiting period has elapsed.

- Payment - Supplemental disability coverage pays 70% of the employee’s salary up to $10,000 per month for up to 12 months.

- Cost – Varies depending on the employee’s salary, age, and choice of waiting period. Liberty Mutual pays the disability payment, while the department or grant must cover the employee’s benefits costs.

• As soon as the employee is aware of the need for a leave of absence, he/she must fax (858-822-0014) or mail (mail code 0737) the following forms to Cecilia:  the Leave of Absence Request form with the "Employee" section completed and signed by the employee, and the Certification of Health Care Provider form with the "Health Care Provider" section completed and signed by the employee's (or eligible family member's) doctor.

• Based on the information provided by the employee and the doctor, Cecilia will mail the employee a letter approving or denying the leave request. If approved, this letter will indicate what type of leave the employee has and the dates of the leave.

• If the employee intends to file a disability claim, he/she must contact the Disability Coordinator's Office at (858)822-1650. Disability payments will be issued to the employee only after the employee follows all instructions for filing a disability claim and the claim has been approved.

• If the leave of absence is to be extended past the original date specified by the doctor, a new written and signed extension from the doctor is required to be faxed to Cecilia stating the revised date.

• When the employee's doctor determines that the employee may return to work, the employee must fax (858-822-0014) or mail (mail code 0737) the Family and Medical Leave Return to Work Certification form to Cecilia with the "Employee" section completed and signed by the employee and the "Health Care Provider" section completed and signed by the employee's doctor. The employee may not return to work without the doctor’s release/approval.

• It is extremely important for the employee to notify Cecilia when he/she returns to work so that his/her payroll can be adjusted accordingly.

• Disability Benefits

FORMS:

• Leave of Absence Request

•Employee's Serious Health Condition Certification

•Employee's Pregnancy Disability Certification

• Family Member's Serious Health Condition Certification

• Family and Medical Leave Return to Work Certification

• Employee Rights and Responsibilities Under FMLA

• FMLA may be used for the following reasons:
- an eligible employee's serious health condition

- the serious health condition of the employee's child, spouse, same- or opposite-sex domestic partner, or parent

- to bond with the employee's newborn, adopted, or foster care child in accordance with State and Federal law in effect at the time the leave is granted. (Leave granted for bonding purposes shall be concluded within 12 months following the child's birth or placement for adoption or foster care.)

• Eligibility - An employee is eligible for FMLA if:

- he/she has at least 12 cumulative months of UC service (all prior UC service counts towards the 12 month-requirement, even if there have been breaks in service), and

- he/she has worked at least 1,250 actual hours during the 12 months immediately preceding the begin date of the leave (vacation or sick hours used during the 12 months do not count toward the 1,250 hours.)

• Length of Leave – Under FMLA, the employee is entitled to up to 12 workweeks of family and medical leave during a calendar year.

• Pay – FMLA is unpaid leave; however, the employee may request to use accrued vacation, sick leave, or comp time for all or a portion of the unpaid leave according to the appropriate policies.

• As soon as the employee is aware of the need for a leave of absence, he/she must fax (858-822-0014) or mail (mail code 0737) the following forms to Cecilia:  the Leave of Absence Request form with the "Employee" section completed and signed by the employee, and the Certification of Health Care Provider form with the "Health Care Provider" section completed and signed by the employee's (or eligible family member's) doctor.

• Based on the information provided by the employee and the doctor, Cecilia will mail the employee a letter approving or denying the leave request. If approved, this letter will indicate what type of leave the employee has, the dates of the leave, and instructions the employee must follow to file for disability benefits.

• If the employee intends to file a disability claim, he/she must contact the Disability Coordinator's Office at (858)822-1650. Disability payments will be issued to the employee only after the employee follows all instructions for filing a disability claim and the claim has been approved.

• If the leave of absence is to be extended past the original date specified by the doctor, a new written and signed extension from the doctor is required to be faxed to Cecilia stating the revised date.

• When the employee's doctor determines that the employee may return to work, the employee must fax (858-822-0014) or mail (mail code 0737) the Family and Medical Leave Return to Work Certification form to Cecilia with the "Employee" section completed and signed by the employee and the "Health Care Provider" section completed and signed by the employee's doctor. The employee may not return to work without the doctor’s release/approval.

• It is extremely important for the employee to contact Cecilia when he/she returns to work so that his/her payroll can be adjusted accordingly.

• Family and Medical Leave Act

California’s Worker’s Compensation laws require UCSD to provide worker’s compensation benefits to employees who are injured or who develop a job-related illness as a result of their employment.

Eligibility – All UCSD employees and volunteers with paperwork on file are eligible.

Section 132a of the California Labor Code prohibits discrimination due to filing of a workers’ compensation claim.
 

• Ask the employee to promptly contact Ling so that his/her personnel/payroll can be adjusted accordingly.

• Keep Ling or Cecilia informed of the employee’s status and days lost from the injury for payroll and personnel purposes.

• Report to Worker’s Comp. Office any changes in the status of an emergency.

• All doctor slips and any bills the employee might receive should be sent to the Workers’ Comp. Office.

• UCSD may temporarily replace an injured employee at any time; however, California Workers’ Comp. Law requires that the injured/ill employee’s position remain open until he/she returns to work. If the employee is absent for an extended period, contact Ling who will be working with various HR offices to seek a solution or guidance.

• Worker’s Compensation