Short-Term Disability
Short-term disability benefits provide wage replacement for up to 26
weeks if you are not able to work because of a qualified medical
condition. If you are absent from work for more than seven consecutive
calendar days due to a medical condition, including
pregnancy, you may qualify for short-term disability benefits.
Benefits are payable to a maximum of 26 weeks as certified by your
physician and subject to approval of the short-term disability carrier.
If you are approved for short-term disability benefits you are eligible
to receive a wage replacement directly from
the short-term disability carrier equal to the New York State
Disability benefit of 50 percent of your weekly pay to a maximum of $170
per week. Your wage replacement shall not exceed your base rate of pay.
Short-term disability leave will run concurrently with leave
qualified under the Family and Medical Leave Act if eligible. For more
information or to apply for short-term disability benefits, please
contact the Benefits Department at 212.229.5671 x4942.
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
FMLA allows an eligible employee to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for the following reasons:
- Incapacity due to pregnancy or prenatal medical care
- To care for the employee's child after birth or placement for adoption or foster care*
- For a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform their job**
- To care for the employee's spouse, child, or parent with a serious health condition
- Due
to a qualifying exigency if the spouse, child, or parent of an employee
is in the National Guard or Reserves or of a regular component of the
Armed Forces and on covered active duty or called to covered active duty
- Military
caregiver leave, also known as a "covered service member leave," to
care for an injured or ill service member or veteran who is the spouse,
child, parent, or next of kin of the employee. An employee may take up
to 26 weeks in a single 12-month
period for this purpose.
*FMLA leave for birth, placement for adoption, or foster care must be taken within 12 months of the FMLA event.
**The FMLA period runs concurrently with an approved short-term disability period.
Please refer to The New School's FMLA policy for detailed information. If you have questions or need additional information regarding the FMLA, contact the Benefits
Department at 212.229.5671 x4942 or visit dol.gov/whd/fmla/index.htm. You can also view the U.S. Department of Labor's FMLA poster for related information.
Employee Eligibility
The minimum requirements for an employee to be eligible for FMLA:
- The employee has 12 months or 52 weeks of service with The New School.
- The
employee has worked for The New School for at least 1,250 hours in the
12-month period immediately before the commencement of the leave.
- The
employee is employed at a work site where 50 or more employees are
employed by The New School within 75 miles of the work site.
Employee Notice
All employees requesting FMLA leave must provide verbal or written
notice of the need for the leave by contacting the university's benefits
office at benefitshelp@newschool.edu or by calling 212.229.5671 x4942.
When the need for the leave is foreseeable, the employee must provide
the university with at least 30 days' notice. When an employee becomes
aware of a need for FMLA leave less than 30 days in advance, the
employee must provide notice of the need for the
leave either the same day or the next business day of becoming
aware. When the need for FMLA leave is not foreseeable, the employee
must comply with The New School's usual and customary notice and
procedural requirements for requesting leave, absent
unusual circumstances.
Pay and Benefits
FMLA leave is unpaid. However, other types of leaves, such as
disability for an employee's own serious health condition or the birth
of a child may provide income replacement and will run concurrently with
FMLA and be designated as FMLA leave.
An employee's medical and dental coverage will be maintained during
the leave under the same conditions as if the employee had continued to
work and an employee must continue to pay the portion he or she normally
pays toward the medical and dental benefits
premium. During paid FMLA, the premiums will be deducted from the
employee's pay as usual. During an unpaid FMLA leave the required
premium continues to be payable, and the Benefits Department will
provide notification as to how to make payments and
when payments are due.
Returning to Work, Lactation Space, and Child Care Resources
A fitness-for-duty certification from a doctor must be provided at
least two weeks before the scheduled date of return. If receipt of
certification is not timely, the employee's return to work may be
delayed. Generally, an employee who takes FMLA leave
will be able to return to the same position or a position with
equivalent status, pay, benefits, and other employment terms. The
position will be the same or one which is virtually identical in terms
of pay, benefits, and working conditions. The New
School may choose to exempt certain key employees from this
requirement and not return them to the same or a similar position.
The New School has recently purchased lactation spaces for nursing
parents to comfortably and conveniently pump while at work. Please
review the Lactation Spaces Guide for more information pertaining to the use of these spaces.
The New School Caregivers Support Working Group of the Social Justice Committee has created this webpage with information and resources for child care.
The New School's Employee Assistance Program also offers support, guidance, and resources on child care.
Workers' Compensation Insurance
Workers' Compensation Insurance provides cash benefits and/or
coverage for medical care provided to employees who are injured or
become ill as a direct result of their job with The New School. You must
notify your supervisor and contact the Security Office
to file an incident report about the injury and the way in which it
occurred as soon as possible. Failure to file an incident report in
writing within 30 days after the incident may cause you to lose the
right to Workers' Compensation benefits. Incident
reports are available at all security guard desks. Employees who
qualify for Workers' Compensation benefits will receive pay continuation
according to the requirements of the state law and our insurance plan.
Please refer to our Workers’ Compensation Notice for more information concerning your rights under Workers’ Compensation benefits.