Bereavement Leave for Faculty and Academic Professional and Administrative Employees

• Updated: May 2008
• Primary Contact: See Contacts Section.

The University provides to eligible faculty and academic professional and administrative (P&A) employees paid bereavement leave upon the death of an immediate or other family member or University colleague as defined in this policy. This leave is granted for purposes of:

• Attending the funeral, services, ceremonies, and/or interment.
• Making necessary arrangements.
• Travel related to the death.
• Bereavement time.

Provisions and Terms

Scope

This policy governs the provision of paid bereavement leave by the University to faculty (94xx) and academic professional and administrative (93xx; 96xx; 97xx) employees. Excluded from coverage under this policy are academic appointments that are (1) adjunct or clinical appointments from outside the University (appointment types A or U) (2) “Without Salary” appointments, and (3) graduate assistants (select 95xx) or professionals-in-training (select 95xx).

Bereavement Leave for Faculty and P&A Employees

The following chart details a faculty member’s and P&A employee’s eligibility and provisions related to the death of a family member or University colleague.

Death of an Immediate Family Member

Eligibility Criteria	% time appointment	Paid Bereavement Leave Provision
Faculty member (94xx) on an appointment term of nine months or more with appointment type of P, N, C, K, J, Z, V, T, I, or W. P&A employees (93xx, 96xx, or 97xx) on an appointment term of nine months or more with an appointment type of K, J, Z, G, H, M, or L	67-100 percent	Granted up to three work days paid bereavement leave. Up to two additional paid work days of leave may be granted at the discretion of the responsible administrator/supervisor upon consideration of the funeral location (local or long distance), cultural expectations, rituals, ceremonies, etc. and other pertinent factors. Leave will normally be used during the seven-calendar-day period immediately following the death.
	Less than 67 percent	Granted up to one work day paid bereavement leave. Bereavement leave will normally be used during the seven-calendar-day period immediately following the death.

Death of Other Family Member

Eligibility Criteria	% time appointment	Paid Bereavement Leave Provision
Faculty member (94xx) with appointment type of P, N, C, K, J, Z, V, T, I, or W. P&A employees (93xx, 96xx, or 97xx) with an appointment type of K, J, Z, G, H, M, or L	Any percent time appointment	Granted up to one work day paid bereavement leave. Leave will normally be used during the seven-calendar-day period immediately following the death.

Death of a University Colleague

Eligibility Criteria	% time appointment	Paid Bereavement Leave Provision
Faculty member (94xx) with appointment type of P, N, C, K, J, Z, V, T, I, or W. P&A employees (93xx, 96xx, or 97xx) with an appointment type of K, J, Z, G, H, M, or L	Any percent time appointment	Granted reasonable paid (typically less than one day) bereavement leave time away from work to attend the funeral or service. Leave is subject to the needs of the department as determined by the responsible administrator/supervisor and the department or administrative unit head.

 

Extended Absence

Absences not covered by paid bereavement leave provisions are accommodated by use of available vacation time and/or unpaid personal leave at the discretion of the responsible administrator/supervisor. To be supportive of employees who are experiencing a significant personal loss, the University strongly encourages responsible administrators/supervisors to be flexible in granting requests for additional paid (as available and appropriate) and unpaid leave time beyond the paid bereavement leave provisions.

Bereavement leave for eligible employees is offered by the University in support of faculty and academic professional and administrative employees experiencing a significant personal loss due to the death of an immediate or other family member and to provide for a consistent benefit and uniform application across the University. This policy gives further definition to the Board of Regents policy: Employee Work-Life and Personal Leaves.

• Notifying/Requesting and Approving Bereavement Leave

• UM 506 – Absence Card
  1. Individual employees should contact their department for absence card.
  2. Departments may order forms in larger quantities through University Stores.

Appointment Term

The length of an appointment, in months and specific dates. For a complete listing and definitions of appointment terms, see Appointment Term Definitions (pdf).

Appointment Type

The kind or type of academic appointment. Benefits, rights, and responsibilities vary depending on the type of appointment held by an employee. For a complete listing and definitions of appointment types, see Appointment Type Definitions (pdf).

Domestic Partner

Two persons of the same or different sex who are (1) engaged in a committed relationship, and (2) not related by blood closer than permitted under Minnesota marriage laws.

Immediate Family Member

(1) The spouse or domestic partner, (2) the employee’s: (a) biological, adoptive, step, or foster child or ward; (b) parent or parental equivalent; or (c) sibling, and (3) the employee’s spouse’s or domestic partner’s: (a) biological, adoptive, step, or foster child or ward; (b) parent or parental equivalent; or (c) sibling.

Other Family Member

Sons - or daughters-in-law of the employee, spouse, or domestic partner; and grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces or nephews, and first cousins of the employee.

Unit/Department

• Establish unit-specific guidelines and procedures for taking of paid bereavement leave.
• Inform responsible administrators/supervisors and impacted employees of the policy and procedures.
• Track total days of paid bereavement leave used for annual reporting to the Office of Human Resources.

Faculty Member and P&A Employee Requesting Leave

• Inform responsible administrator/supervisor of the death of an immediate or other family member at the earliest possible time and the anticipated number of days of paid bereavement leave needed as provided under this policy.
• Request additional paid (e.g., vacation) or unpaid (e.g., personal) leave as needed.

Responsible Administrator/Supervisor

• Ensure that bereavement leave is documented within department records and the Human Resource Management System (HRMS) as appropriate.
• Review and approve requests for up to two additional paid bereavement leave days in situations involving the death of an immediate family member.
• Review and approve requests for additional paid or unpaid leave for extended time away from work for bereavement-related purposes.

• Sample of Completed Absence Card (PDF)

1. Is there any possibility for additional paid bereavement leave time if the location of the funeral is a day’s travel away and there are significant family obligations and responsibilities to which attention must be paid?

   Yes. In the case of death of an immediate family member, the responsible administrator/supervisor may grant up to two additional paid work days of leave upon consideration of the funeral location, cultural expectations, rituals, ceremonies, obligations, responsibilities, and any other pertinent factors.

2. What leave provisions are available for faculty members and P&A employees serving as pallbearers at a funeral?

   If a faculty member or P&A employee is serving as a pallbearer at the funeral of a person other than an immediate or other family member or colleague as described in this policy, vacation time or leave without pay is to be used.

3. If a faculty member or P&A employee is on vacation when the death of an immediate or other family member occurs, can the scheduled vacation time not yet taken be converted to bereavement leave?

   Yes, under such circumstances scheduled vacation time not yet taken can be converted to bereavement leave.

4. Does a death or divorce affect the interpretation of the immediate or other family member in the application of paid bereavement leave?

   Yes. For purposes of the application of paid bereavement leave, relationships existing due to marriage will terminate upon the death or divorce of the family member with whom the marriage relationship exists. Similarly, relationships existing due to a domestic partner commitment will for purposes of the application of paid bereavement leave, terminate upon the death of the partner or dissolution of the domestic partner relationship. For example, upon the death of an ex-spouse, paid bereavement leave as provided under this policy does not apply, nor would it apply for the death of the ex-spouse’s parent.

• Administrative Policy: Unpaid Personal Leaves for Faculty and Academic Professional and Administrative Employees
• Administrative Policy: Vacation Leave for Academic Employees
• Appointment Terms
• Appointment Type Definitions
• Board of Regents Policy: Employee Work-Life and Personal Leaves

Amended:

May 2008 - Policy converted to the new University-wide format for administrative policies.

Effective:

August 2007