Reduced Paid Leave

• Eligibility

  Employees who meet the following criteria are eligible to apply for RPL:

  • Appointed to work at least 20 hours per week (0.5–1.0 FTE) in a benefits-eligible position that does not require student status as a condition of employment.
  • Have exhausted all available accruals and are either: 1.) Unable to perform the essential job functions of their position due to a personal illness/injury that directly results in a significant, adverse change to their physical or mental condition or 2.) Unable to work due to the catastrophic illness/injury of an immediate family member and have had at least six months of continuous employment; a catastrophic illness/injury is a severe condition or combination of conditions affecting the family member’s physical or mental health that is immediately life-threatening or likely to be fatal within the next 12 months.

  Please note:

  • Approved RPL runs concurrently with Family and Medical Leave (FML), parental leave, or any other health-related leave.
  • If an employee has applied or been approved for short-term disability payments through the
    UT System benefits program, they are not eligible for RPL for the same qualifying illness/injury.
  • If an employee has been approved for long-term disability payments through the UT System benefits program, they are no longer eligible for RPL if there is an overlap of the payment periods.
  • Employees may not receive both Workers’ Compensation Insurance (WCI) and RPL. If an employee has filed, is filing, or intends to file a WCI claim or appeal, they are not eligible to apply for RPL.
• RPL Guidelines

  RPL may be granted for two illness/injury periods within a rolling 12 months, up to a combined maximum of 480 hours. The two illness/injury periods may consist of:

  • Two unrelated diagnoses for an employee’s own illness/injury.
  • One period for an employee’s own illness/injury and one period for an immediate family member’s catastrophic illness/injury.
  • Two unrelated diagnoses for immediate family members’ catastrophic illness/injury.

  Employees on an approved leave of absence for the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child may receive up 480 RPL hours, minus their personal paid leave accruals. (Example: If an employee has 300 hours in available accruals, then the employee will be granted 180 RPL hours for a combined total of 480 hours.) Employees must use their available accruals before using granted RPL hours. RPL hours may be used to cover care and bonding time.

  RPL ends the earlier of:

  For an employee’s personal illness/injury

  • The date the employee is released to return work by a licensed practitioner; or
  • The point at which the sum of all illness/injury periods reaches 480 hours within a rolling 12 months.

  For an immediate family member’s catastrophic illness/injury

  • The date the immediate family member’s illness/injury ceases to be catastrophic; or
  • The point at which the sum of all family member illness/injury periods reaches 480 hours within a rolling 12 months.

  The rolling 12 months begins at the end date of the RPL grant.

• Exclusions

  RPL cannot be used for:

  • Intermittent absences (even when associated with an approved leave of absence).
  • Illness/injury requiring care outside of the United States other than unplanned, emergency care while traveling.
  • Absences related to treatments or procedures that are deemed non-medically necessary (cosmetic, infertility, sterilization treatments or procedures).
  • Absences related to dental services such as those provided for the routine care, treatment, extraction, removal, or replacement of teeth or structures directly supporting the teeth.
  • Absences related to dental-in-nature oral and maxillofacial surgery or any procedures related to dental implants.
• Request and Approval Processes

  Employees requesting RPL for a personal illness/injury, the catastrophic illness/injury of an immediate family member, or parental leave are required to complete an online application. They must also provide certification supporting the leave from a licensed practitioner. Failure to provide the required certification may result in the denial of the request.

  HR Leave Management reviews all requests and supporting documentation to determine if the leave qualifies for RPL.

  The number of RPL hours granted is based on the physical and/or cognitive demands of the employee’s position; diagnosis leading to treatment or surgery; and the medical disability standards for the specified health condition.

  Please be advised that the number of RPL hours granted may not be sufficient to cover the full length of incapacity noted by the licensed practitioner in the required certification.

  Application for Reduced Paid Leave

• RPL Payments

  While on RPL, employees will receive 50% of their monthly or hourly base pay rate. RPL is payable after seven calendar days or the exhaustion of all available accruals, whichever is greater.

  Each new illness/injury period requires employees to satisfy a new elimination period, and RPL hours cannot be supplemented with other accrued leave.

  Granted, unused RPL hours expire upon the employee’s return to work.

  When an employee is on RPL, UTMB will continue to contribute its share of the employee’s insurance premiums. The employee is required to pay their share of the premiums in accordance with applicable billing procedures. Failure by the employee to make the monthly payments may result in the discontinuation of insurance coverage.

  Employees also do not accrue PTO hours or holiday hours when on RPL.

  Employees may not donate granted RPL hours to another employee or to UTMB’s Major Disaster Recovery Bank (MDRB), upon activation.

  Employees who separate or retire from UTMB with granted, unused RPL hours will not be paid for these hours.

  Upon the death of an employee, UTMB will not pay the estate of the deceased for any RPL hours granted but not used.