Printed on: 01/08/2026. Please go to policy.umn.edu for the most current version of the document.
University of Minnesota  Administrative Policy

Faculty, Academic Professional and Administrative Employees Medical Leave (Family)

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Policy Statement

Faculty, Academic Professional and Administrative (P&A) Employees Medical Leave (Family) entitles Eligible Employees of the University of Minnesota (University) to take paid leave for a medical treatment of their Dependent Child or the care of a Family Member.

Eligibility

This policy applies to Faculty and Academic Professional and Administrative (P&A) employees. Employees who are not eligible for this policy’s paid medical leave include:

  • Civil service employees
  • Union-represented employees
  • Student employees
  • Adjunct or clinical faculty from outside the University
  • Affiliate appointments
  • Professionals-in-training

The amount and length of paid medical leave depends on the Eligible Employee's appointment and the reason for the leave. See Appendix: Paid Medical Leave Eligibility and Provisions for details.

Use of Medical Leave

Eligible faculty members and academic professional and administrative (P&A) employees will be provided medical leave for the treatment of their Dependent Children or their Family Members (See Appendix: Paid Medical Leave Eligibility and Provisions) in the following cases:

  • To care for, or arrange care for, the employee's Dependent Child because of a physical or mental health condition.
  • To care for, or arrange care for, the employee's Family Member because of a Serious Health Condition.
  • For medical and dental appointments or for your Dependent Child's or Family Member's appointments when the employee’s presence is required.
  • For reasons allowable under the ESST policy. 

You must report your use of medical leave in half-day or full-day increments, including the dates of the leave, as soon as possible.

Medical Leave Provisions

The provisions below will run concurrently with any other paid or unpaid leave policies or laws if possible.

Medical Leave Payments

Medical leave payments are paid by the Eligible Employee’s department according to scheduled biweekly earnings, which may not exceed 100 percent of the Eligible Employee’s salary. If an Eligible Employee is scheduled to receive pay for a period less than 12 months, medical leave pay for treatment of their Dependent Children or their Family Members is not provided during the months for which the employee does not receive pay.

Reason for Policy

This policy implements Board of Regents Policy: Employee Work-Life and Personal Leaves.

Contacts

Subject Contact Phone Email
General Information or Procedural Assistance
  • Primary: Leave Specialist
  • Secondary: Local campus, college, or administrative unit HR administrator
  • Other (as needed): Office of Human Resources consultant

612-624-8647; 800-756-2363

Local Campus, College or Administrative unit HR

[email protected]
Employee Benefits Information

Office of Human Resources Contact Center

612-624-8647; 800-756-2363

[email protected]
Disability Resource Center

Disability Resource Center

612-626-1333

[email protected]
Responsible Individuals
Responsible Officer Policy Owner Primary Contact
  • Vice President, Office of Human Resources
  • Senior Director - Total Rewards
  • See Contacts Table above

Definitions

Dependent Child
The employee's biological, adoptive, or foster son or daughter, a stepchild, or a legal ward of the employee or a child of a person standing in loco parentis who is under the age of 18, or 18 and older and incapable of self-care and self-sustaining employment because of a mental or physical disability certified by the medical claims administrator. 
Family Member
A family member includes:
  1. The employee’s:
    • Spouse
    • Dependent Child
    • Parent or someone acting as a parent
    • Sibling 
  2. The employee’s spouse’s:
    • Dependent Child
    • Parent or someone acting as a parent
    • Sibling 
  3. An individual covered by the ESST Policy
Serious Health Condition
An illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition that involves one of the following:
  • Hospital Care: Inpatient care (i.e., an overnight stay) in a hospital, hospice, or residential medical care facility, including any period of incapacity or subsequent treatment in connection with or consequent to such inpatient care.
  • Absence Plus Treatment: A period of incapacity of more than three consecutive, full calendar days (including any subsequent treatment or period of incapacity relating to the same condition), that also involves:
    • Treatment two or more times, within 30 days of the first day of incapacity, unless extenuating circumstances exist, by a healthcare provider, by a nurse or physician's assistant under direct supervision of a health care provider, or by a provider of health care services (e.g., physical therapist) under orders of, or on referral by, a health care provider, or
    • Treatment by a health care provider on at least one occasion which results in a regimen of continuing treatment under the supervision of the health care provider.
  • Pregnancy: Any period of incapacity due to pregnancy or for prenatal care.
  • Chronic Conditions Requiring Treatments: A chronic condition which:
    • Requires periodic visits (at least twice a year) for treatment by a health care provider or by a nurse or physician's assistant under direct supervision of a health care provider; and
    • Continues over an extended period of time (including recurring episodes of a single underlying condition); and
    • May cause episodic rather than a continuing period of incapacity (e.g. asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, etc.)
  • Permanent/Long-Term Conditions Requiring Supervision: A period of incapacity which is permanent or long-term due to a condition for which treatment may not be effective. The employee or family member must be under the continuing supervision of, but need not be receiving active treatment by, a health care provider. Examples include Alzheimer's, a severe stroke, or the terminal stages of a disease.
  • Multiple Treatments (Non-Chronic Conditions): Any period of absence to receive multiple treatments (including any period of recovery) by a health care provider or by a provider of health care services under orders of, or on referral by, a health care provider, either for restorative surgery after an accident or other injury, or for a condition that would likely result in a period of incapacity of more than three consecutive, full calendar days in the absence of medical intervention or treatment such as cancer (chemotherapy, radiation, etc.) severe arthritis (physical therapy), kidney disease (dialysis).

Responsibilities

Faculty Member or P&A Employee
  • Report your use of medical leave following departmental and/or campus, college, or administrative unit procedures. 
  • After three days of continued absence, request leave through MyU and work with the Leave Administration team.
Leave Administration
  • Establish guidelines and develop policy procedures.
  • Communicate guidelines, procedures, and expectations.
  • Coordinate with the disability vendor to manage medical leave requests.
Unit
  • Refer employees to the Leave Administration team for guidelines, procedures, and expectations.
  • Work with the employee for accommodations and leave updates.
  • Work with the Leave Administration team for any questions, concerns, or leave updates.

Related Information

As you consider your options under this policy, please also consider the following leave policies, which may or may not apply to your situation:

History

Effective

December 2025 - Comprehensive review. The policy: "Paid Medical Leave and Disability Benefits for Faculty and Academic Professional and Administrative Employees" has been split into 2 policies, one addressing employee leave benefits, and one addressing benefits relating to family members.

Enactment by the Minnesota Legislature of the Minnesota Paid Leave Law ("Law"). The Law's implementation impacts other leave policies of the University requiring minor policy changes to promote consistency and clarity regarding the various leaves available to employees. MN Paid leave provides two types of partially paid leave: Medical Leave for an employee's serious health condition and Family Leave covering leave to care for relatives, bonding leave, leave to support a military family member called to active duty, leave to respond to certain personal safety issues. The amendments to this policy result in two policies that are more aligned with the new MN Paid Leave Law: Faculty, Academic Professional and Administrative Employee Medical Leave and Academic Disability Program (Self) and Faculty, Academic Professional and Administrative Employee Medical Leave (Family). The amendments also permit the use of the leave for ESST reasons.