Frequently Asked Questions

If you are on an approved paid family or medical leave during intersession and you are not regularly scheduled to work during intersession and normally receive intersession pay, you will be paid intersession pay and this time will not count towards the maximum benefit duration for Paid Family and Medical Leave.  Please be sure to enter your intersession hours if you are a weekly paid employee.  If you are normally scheduled to work during intersession, you will be paid through the Paid Family and Medical Leave benefit, and this will count towards your maximum benefit duration.

For any questions on family and medical leave, please contact BU Human Resources Service Center at hr@bu.edu or call 617-353-2380.

If you currently accrue sick time, you will continue to do so as per the current policies in place.  Accrued sick time should be used for occasional absences lasting one week or less, while the Paid Family and Medical Leave benefit is intended for absences lasting longer than one week.  You may also be eligible to supplement certain Paid Family and Medical Leave benefits with your accrued sick time.

Paid family and medical leave benefits are administered by Sedgwick.  You may apply to Sedgwick to request family or medical leave online through your mySedgwick portal or by phone at 877-708-0037.

Special Note for Faculty Members: To initiate your leave, you must complete the Faculty Request for Non-Academic Leave of Absence Form and submit it to the chair of your department. Your chair is responsible for forwarding the form to the dean’s office. When you receive the response from the chair of your department you should contact Sedgwick online via the mySedgwick portal or by phone to initiate the leave process:

• mySedgwick portal
• 877-708-0037

Please note – this additional form does not apply to faculty members who are part of the BU Medical Group.

You can calculate your weekly state benefit amount using this calculator tool.

For Full-time Faculty, Part-Time Faculty and Staff, Sedgwick uses the salary in effect over the duration of your leave.  Salary changes that occur after the start date of your leave will be reflected in the PFML benefits calculations. For BU Medical Group providers, Sedgwick uses the average of your total compensation over the last four completed quarters.

Paid family and medical leave runs concurrently with any leave taken under applicable state and federal leave laws, including the Massachusetts Parental Leave Act and the federal Family and Medical Leave Act.

MA PFML law defines family leave as leave taken: 1) to care for a family member with a serious health condition; 2) for a parent to bond with the parent’s child during the first 12 months after the child’s birth, adoption, or foster care placement; 3) to care for a family member who is a covered service member, or 4) because of a qualifying exigency arising out of the fact that a family member is on active duty overseas or has been notified of an impending call or order to active duty overseas in the Armed Forces.

MA FML law defines medical leave as leave taken by an eligible employee due to their own serious health condition, including recovery from routine childbirth that is certified by a physician as a serious health condition.

For the purpose of family leave used to care for a family member, family members include your spouse, domestic partner, child, parent, grandchild, grandparent or sibling; the parent of your spouse or domestic partner; and guardians who legally acted as a parent when you were a minor. Where your family member lives does not affect their eligibility. You can take paid family leave to care for a family member with a serious health condition no matter where they are.

Your eligibility under Boston University’s Long Term Disability Plan will not be impacted. More information on Boston University’s Long Term Disability Plan can be found here.

A serious health condition is defined as an illness, injury, impairment or physical or mental condition that involves: (a) inpatient care in a hospital, hospice or residential medical facility; or (b) continuing treatment by a health care provider.  This may include normal birth recovery as certified by a physician.

You may take leave for the dates approved for your leave, which can be found in your leave approval letter.  Intermittent parental bonding leave may be taken for up to 12 months from birth or placement of an eligible child.  Intermittent leave schedules should be arranged in advance with your supervisor.

You may take family and/or medical leave more than once during the year if you have more than one qualifying event.  The maximum duration of paid family and medical leave you may take per benefit year, in general, is 26 weeks. 

Intermittent leave is leave taken in two or more separated periods instead of one continuous block of time.  Paid family leave may be taken intermittently.  Intermittent parental bonding leave may be taken within 12 months from the date of birth or placement of the child.  Paid medical leave may be taken intermittently if medically necessary.  Employees who wish to take a qualifying paid family and medical leave intermittently should arrange a schedule in advance with their supervisor.

Yes, all paid family and medical leaves are subject to certification requirements.  For more information on the documentation required, please contact Sedgwick online or by phone at 877-708-0037 at the time you are applying for a leave.

You have the right to appeal the denial of your leave benefits. In order to appeal, you may contact Sedgwick online or by phone at 877-708-0037.

If you are enrolled in the BU Health Plan, Dental Plan, Supplemental Life Insurance Plan, Personal and Family Accident Insurance Plan at the time you go on leave your coverage will continue and you will continue to contribute your share of the cost of coverage via payroll deductions. You have the option to cancel your coverage at any time.  However, please note that if you choose to cancel your health or dental coverage, you will lose the right to resume your coverage through Boston University until you return from leave.

• If you are enrolled in the Group Life Insurance Plan your participation will continue based on the coverage you had at the time your leave began. This coverage is subject to the age reduction schedule outlined in the Faculty and Staff Benefits Handbook.
• If you are enrolled in the Boston University Retirement Plan the University will contribute to your retirement account.
  

If you do not work in the state of Massachusetts, your work state may offer a Paid Family and Leave Benefit.  As of August 2023, Paid Family and Medical leave benefits are available in CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, HI, MA, MD, MN, NH, NJ, NY, OR, RI, VT, and WA.   At the time of application, you should confirm whether your state offers a plan.

If your state of residence offers a Paid Family and Medical leave benefit, you must apply for benefits through both Sedgwick as well as your state of residence.  Sedgwick will assume you are receiving the benefit through your state of residence and offset the benefit available through Boston University unless you demonstrate a denial of benefits from your state of residence in writing.