A leave of absence is an unpaid, authorized, temporary absence from the payroll. When an employee requests a leave, the supervisor acts to initiate the leave process. Leave is granted by the University to guarantee employees continued employment and to protect certain benefits.
For Administrative and Professional staff (codes 100/110) and Professional Research Staff (Code 103): An employee may request a leave of absence of up to three months for personal reasons, including child care for newborn or newly adopted children. This type of leave is granted at the discretion of the person to whom the employee reports, who must obtain the approval of the School/Unit's Human Resources Officer.
For Office (codes 106/116) and Technical (codes 104/114) staff: Grants of personal leave are discretionary with the University, must be approved by the School/Unit's Human Resources Officer and are not subject to the grievance and arbitration provisions of the Local 3882 Collective Bargaining Agreement.
For Service staff (codes 107/117) covered by a collective bargaining agreement, please refer to the appropriate contract for all information about personal leave. For Service staff (codes 107/117) not covered by a collective bargaining agreement, please contact the Employee Relations Office.
Benefits During Leaves of Absence
Certain benefits can be continued during a leave (for codes 100/110, 103, 104/114, 106/116), as described below. If an employee plans to take a leave of absence, it is his or her responsibility to contact the Benefits Office to arrange for continuation of benefits. For more information, see the corresponding benefits publication or contact the Benefits Office at 212-998-1270 or benefits@nyu.edu.
For Service staff (codes 107/117) covered by a collective bargaining agreement, please refer to the appropriate contract for all information about benefits during leaves. For Service staff (codes 107/117) not covered by a collective bargaining agreement, please contact the Employee Relations Office.
Insurance
NYU will continue its contributions to an employee’s health, dental, and life insurance coverage while an employee is on leave. If he or she currently has coverage that requires an employee contribution, he or she must continue to make that contribution. If employee contributions are not made, the benefit will be terminated and will not be able to be reinstated.
Social Security
Because an employee is not paid while on leave, no Social Security taxes are paid during that time. Eligibility for Social Security Disability or Retirement benefits depends on the number of quarters an employee has worked and paid Social Security taxes; an employee's eligibility for those benefits could be affected by a leave.
Sick Time
If you are out on a paid or unpaid leave of absence, you do not continue to accrue sick pay time until you are actively back at work. Once you are actively back at work you will begin to accrue additional sick time. However, this new time cannot be used to pay for unpaid time from a former leave. It can only be used for illness that occurs after your return from leave.
Vacation
An employee earns vacation credit for any month in which he or she receives 15 or more days of full pay.
Holidays
An employee is not paid for any holiday(s) which occur during his or her leave of absence. If a holiday falls on the first working day after the expiration date of a leave, the employee is not paid for the holiday. His or her pay will resume on the first day the employee physically returns to work.
Tuition Remission
An employee may not use his or her individual employee tuition remission privileges while on leave. During leave, an employee’s spouse and/or dependent children who are enrolled in a degree program may continue to use tuition remission toward the completion of a degree.
Retirement Plan (Administrative and Professional, codes 100/110, and Professional Research Staff, Code 103)
NYU will suspend its contributions to the Retirement Plan during an employee’s leave of absence and resume them when he or she returns. He or she will retain the amount already in the account during the leave and it can continue to earn interest and/or dividends.
