Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) for Medical & Maternity/Paternity Leave

The employee or supervisor is responsible for reporting any medical leave of absences to the Human Resources Leave Administrator. Reporting a medical Leave of Absence (LOA) in a timely manner is imperative as the university must abide by federal regulations. The employee is required to submit his/her request for a leave of absence 30 days in advance. The employee or department is required to report a leave of absence to Benefits Administration if it consists of the following:

• Leave of four or more consecutive days, intermittent leave or a reduced work schedule.
• Employee’s conditions requiring an overnight stay in a hospital or other medical care facility.
• Conditions that incapacitate the employee or a family member for four consecutive days or longer.
• Chronic conditions that cause occasional periods of absence when the employee or employee’s family member are incapacitated and require treatment by a health care provider at least twice a year (Intermittent Leave).
• Maternity/Paternity.

Florida International University, as an employer, is responsible for complying with all Federal, State and Local regulations, as well as University policies. As such, we are obligated to determine an employee’s eligibility for all leaves including those designated as Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leaves.

Supervisor’s Responsibilities:

1. If the employee is unable to submit the Online Leave of Absence request form (LOA) form, the supervisor is responsible for submitting the online LOA form on behalf of the employee. Please go to Panthersoft and follow the path: Manager Self Service > Manager Forms > Leave of Absence Online Form.

2. After the LOA form is completed, an acknowledgement email will be sent to the employee’s department.

•  Faculty: Acknowledgment email will be sent to Supervisor, HR Liaison, and Academic Affairs.
• Administrative & Staff: Acknowledgment email will be sent to Supervisor, and HR Liaison.

3. A Notice of Eligibility for FMLA will be sent from the Benefits Administration, requesting the required medical documentation as applicable:

• Certification of Health Care Provider for Employee’s Serious Health Condition
• Certification of Health Care Provider for Family Member’s Serious Health Condition

4. Once the required documents are received by Benefits Administration, a final designation letter is issued to the employee and copied to the employee’s department.

5. All medical documentation is confidential and must be sent to the Benefits Administration office; it must not be kept by the department.

6.Please ensure the medical documentation is sent within the defined deadline to Benefits Administration via:

• Upload: through PantherSoft at my.fiu.edu using this path: Employee Resources / Employee Forms / Benefits Forms / Self Service Upload / DHR Benefits Imports Portal (fiu.edu) or,
• Fax: 305-348-3884

Timesheet Entry (PantherSoft):

1. The employee or department must enter leave hours in the employee’s timesheet until Benefits Administration has finalized and formally designated the leave in writing (email notification).

2. Once the leave has been formally designated, Benefits Administration will commence entering leave hours in the employee’s timesheet. The exception is for employees on intermittent leave and on a reduced work schedule where employees enter their own time.

3. The department is responsible for approving any leave time entered by Benefits Administration in the employee’s timesheet.

Military Leave

Military Leave Process & Supervisor’s Responsibilities:

1. If the employee is unable to submit the Online Leave of Absence request form (LOA) form, the supervisor is responsible for submitting the online LOA form on behalf of the employee. Please go to Panthersoft and follow the path: Manager Self Service > Manager Forms > Leave of Absence Online Form.

2. After the LOA form is completed, an acknowledgement email will be sent to the employee’s department.

• Faculty: Acknowledgement email will be sent to Supervisor, HR Liaison, and Academic Affairs.
• Administrative & Staff: Acknowledgement email will be sent to Supervisor, and HR Liaison.

3. Submit supporting documentation (e.g. Military orders for Active Duty, Active Training, Inactive Duty Training) to Benefits Administration via:

• Upload: through PantherSoft at my.fiu.edu using this path: Employee Resources / Employee Forms / Benefits Forms / Self Service Upload / DHR Benefits Imports Portal (fiu.edu) or,
• Fax: 305-348-3884

4. After the required documents are received, a final designation letter is issued from Benefits Administration to the employee and copied to supervisor and HR Liaison.

Other Non-FMLA Leave

Medical Leave

Medical Leave (Non-FMLA) applies to an employee who is not eligible for FMLA and who is absent for more than four days due to his/her serious health condition, or to care for an immediate family member.

Non-FMLA Leave Eligibility

1. An employee has not met the initial FMLA eligibility requirements (i.e. length of service or minimum hours worked).
2. An employee has a medical condition that has exhausted the 12 weeks of FMLA entitlement either from a prior leave or from an existing ongoing condition.
3. The medical facts presented do not support eligibility as defined under FMLA.

Supervisor’s Responsibilities: 

1. If the employee is unable to submit the Online Leave of Absence request form (LOA) form, the supervisor is responsible for submitting the online LOA form on behalf of the employee. Please go to Panthersoft and follow the path: Manager Self Service > Manager Forms > Leave of Absence Online Form.

2. After the LOA form is completed, an acknowledgement email will be sent to the employee’s department.

• Faculty: Acknowledgement email will be sent to Supervisor, HR Liaison, and Academic Affairs.
• Administrative & Staff: Acknowledgement email will be sent to Supervisor, and HR Liaison.

3. A Notice of Eligibility for FMLA will be sent from the Benefits Administration, requesting the required medical documentation as applicable:

• Certification of Health Care Provider for Employee’s Serious Health Condition
• Certification of Health Care Provider for Family Member’s Serious Health Condition

4. Once the required documents are received by Benefits Administration, a final designation letter is issued to the employee and copied to the employee’s department.

5. All medical documentation is confidential and must be sent to the Benefits Administration office; it must not be kept by the department.

6. Please ensure the medical documentation is sent within the defined deadline to Benefits Administration via:

• Upload: through PantherSoft at fiu.eduusing this path: Employee Resources / Employee Forms / Benefits Forms / Self Service Upload / DHR Benefits Imports Portal (fiu.edu) or,
• Fax: 305-348-3884

Timecard Entry (PantherSoft):

1. The employee or department must enter leave hours in the employee’s timesheet until Benefits Administration has finalized and formally designated the leave in writing (email notification).

2. Once the leave has been formally designated, Benefits Administration will commence entering leave hours in the employee’s timesheet. The exception is for employees on intermittent leave and on a reduced work schedule where employees enter their own time.

3. The department is responsible for approving any leave time entered by Benefits Administration in the employee’s timesheet.

Personal Leave of Absence without Pay

An employee may request a personal leave of absence without pay for up to three months for personal reasons which are subject to the approval of the department head and the Division of Human Resources. The criteria in approving this leave are simply whether the interest of the employee and the university would be best served by granting this leave.

The employee must deplete all available vacation leave before a personal leave of absence without pay would be considered. He/she can elect to continue benefits coverage, as if the employee continued working, provided the insurance premiums are paid. Therefore, upon authorization of the personal leave of absence without pay, it is the employee’s responsibility to contact Benefits Administration to determine the cost of benefits to the employee during the leave period.

Personal leave of Absence process & Supervisor’s Responsibilities:

1. If the employee is unable to submit the Online Leave of Absence request form (LOA) form, the supervisor is responsible for submitting the online LOA form on behalf of the employee. Please go to Panthersoft and follow the path: Manager Self Service > Manager Forms > Leave of Absence Online Form.

2. After the LOA form is completed by the employee or supervisor, the form must be approved by the employee’s supervisor and other offices based on the employee’s classification and the length of the absence.

• Faculty:Request must be approved by Supervisor, and Academic Affairs.
• Administrative & Staff:Request must be approved by Supervisor. Note: If Admin/Staff requests Personal Leave without pay for longer than three (3) months, the LOA is required for additional approval from the Employee Labor & Relations office.

3. A final designation letter is issued to employee and copied to supervisor and HR Liaison.