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Medical Leave

Any employee who is out more than 10 days for a medical reason must apply for a leave of absence. An employee may request a medical leave of absence for his or her own illness, or for the serious illness of an immediate family member.

A medical leave may be eligible for Family and Medical Leave Act protection if an employee meets the requirements below:  

  • Faculty, A&P, USPS, and OPS employees must be employed for at least twelve (12) months (these need not be consecutive months).
  • In addition the employee must have worked at least 1250 hours in the twelve (12) month period immediately preceding the Leave Request.
  • Also the employee must work at a location where there are at least 50 employees and are within 75 miles of the worksite.

If the employee meets the above requirements the employee is eligible, upon request, for twelve (12) weeks of unpaid Medical Leave under the provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

Approved leave over 160 hours during a semester extends an employee’s tenure clock.  Faculty members interested in adjusting their tenure clock, or who have questions about their tenure clock, should contact Faculty Excellence at 407-823-2302 to discuss any adjustments.

Click here for additional information on the tenure clock.

Click FMLA Frequently Asked Questions for questions regarding the Family Medical Leave Act.

The Medical Leaves of Absence may be requested via Workday or initiated at [email protected]. The completed Certification of Health Care Provider form should be sent directly to Human Resources to maintain confidentiality.

Prior to returning to a normal work schedule and/or transitioning to another approved leave of absence the employee should submit a Request Return from Leave of Absence in Workday to conclude the leave of absence. If the leave of absence is to care for a family member, no other action is required. If the leave is for the employee’s own condition, s/he may not return to work without also providing a medical release. Complete the top section of a UCF Medical Release and have the health care provider complete the rest (or attach their own release). To submit documents, fax to (407) 882-9023, email to [email protected], or upload a copy to the Workday leave of absence.

In addition to a full/continuous Medical Leave of Absence, Medical Leave may be granted as follows:

An Intermittent Medical Leave of Absence :
The employee is working and may take time off intermittently for specific medical reasons confirmed by a health care worker. The employee may take time off periodically for one or more hours, or for up to ten (10) days. They must use Workday to document the usage of accrued Time Off when s/he is not at work. It is the employee and manager’s responsibility to track the hours via Workday. Click here to view a job aid.

A Reduced Work Schedule Medical Leave of Absence:
The employee is working less than his/her normal work schedule. The employee’s proposed work schedule must be attached to the leave request form and approved by their department. If a non-exempt employee is maintaining a reduced work schedule, he/she must use Workday to document the hours worked and accrued Time Off when s/he is not at work.

If an exempt employee is maintaining a reduced work schedule, s/he must use Workday to document the usage of accrued Time Off when s/he is not at work.

Please click Sick Leave or Annual Leave for additional information on the use of accrued Time Off while on an approved medical leave of absence.

Forms required for Medical Leave
Certification of Health Care Provider for Employee’s Serious Health Condition
Certification of Health Care Provider for Family Member’s Serious Health Condition
UCF Medical Release

Click here for frequently asked questions regarding the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). For additional information on the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) click here .

For specific information related to Faculty employees, refer to Article 17 of the UFF Collective Bargaining Agreement .

Military Family Caregiver Leave

An employee entitled to leave under the FMLA is entitled to a special leave entitlement that permits the employee to take up to 26 weeks of leave to care for a covered service member during a single 12 month period. A covered servicemember is: (1) a current member of the Armed Forces, including a member of the National Guard or Reserves, who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation or therapy, is otherwise in outpatient status, or is otherwise on the temporary disability retired list, for a serious injury or illness*; or (2) a veteran who is discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable at any time during the five-year period prior to the first date the eligible employee take FMLA leave to care for the covered veteran, and who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy for a serious injury or illness*

During Military Family Caregiver Leave, the leave is without pay. The leave may be with pay when the employee uses accrued annual or compensatory leave. In accordance to UCF Sick Leave provisions, sick leave may be used when the sick or injured person is a spouse, grandparent, parent, brother, sister , child, or grandchild.

Certification for Serious Injury or Illness of Current Service member FMLA
Certification for Serious Injury or Illness of a Veteran FMLA

Military Family Qualifying Exigency Leave

Employees who have been employed with the University for one year and have worked 1250 hours in the 12 month period prior to requesting leave who have a spouse, son, daughter, or parent on active duty or call to active duty status in support of the National Guard or Reserves deployed to a foreign country in support of a contingency operation may use their 12 week Family Medical Leave Act entitlement to address certain qualifying exigencies. Qualifying exigencies may include short notice deployment, attending certain military events, arranging for alternative childcare, addressing certain financial and legal arrangements, attending certain counseling sessions, rest and recuperation, and attending post-deployment reintegration briefings. Also for certain activities related to the care of the military member’s parents, who is incapable of self-care where those activities arise from the military member’s deployment or impending deployment.

During Military Family Leave for a qualifying exigency the leave is without pay. The leave may be with pay when the employee used accrued annual or compensatory leave.

Certification of Qualifying Exigency for Military Family Leave