Leave Information for Staff and Faculty: 
Childbirth, Maternity, Pregnancy, Birth & Bonding, Foster Placement, or Adoption

The Office of Human Resources is ready to assist Staff and Faculty members who anticipate needing leave for childbirth, maternity, pregnancy, birth and bonding, foster placement, or adoption. We encourage those needing leave for these purposes to access the proper documents below, or by contacting the Leave Coordinator for assistance.

Texas Woman’s University is a state employer and subject to rules implemented and mandated by the State Auditor’s Office (SAO) and applicable federal laws.

Types of leave for eligible employees anticipating birth and bonding, foster placement, or adoption:

Family Medical Leave (FMLA)

All State employees (male or female) may be eligible for leave under the Family Medical Leave Act if they have worked 1,250 hours for a Texas state agency in the preceding 12 months. FMLA is a federal law which covers the birth, adoption, or placement of a foster child within 12 months of the event. If an employee does not meet the requirements for FMLA, the state of Texas provides Parental Leave of Absence policy.

Family Medical Leave is unpaid leave. Employees may use available compensatory time, vacation or leave without pay for this period. Sick leave is strictly limited to those situations clearly falling within the definition of sick leave.

The paperwork needed to begin the FMLA process can be found here, or contact the Leave Coordinator for assistance.

Parental Leave of Absence

Parental Leave of Absence allows up to 12 weeks off for birth, adoption, or placement of a foster child. Parental Leave of Absence applies to anyone who is employed at TWU including adjuncts and graduate assistants. 

Policy as Stated in the Texas Woman’s University Staff Handbook: Employees are entitled to a parental leave of absence, not to exceed twelve weeks, for the birth of a natural child or adoption of a child. This period begins with the date of birth or adoption or foster care placement with the employee of a child.

Parental Leave of Absence is unpaid leave. Employees may use available compensatory time, vacation or leave without pay for this period. Sick leave is strictly limited to those situations clearly falling within the definition of sick leave. 

The paperwork needed to begin the Parental Leave of Absence process can be found here, or contact the Leave Coordinator for assistance.

Continuity of pay while out on leave for birth and bonding, foster placement, or adoption:

Faculty  

Faculty may use available accrued sick leave during the time a doctor certifies that the employee or immediate family member, such as a spouse or child, are under the care of a doctor. If the employee takes a full 12 weeks of leave, and only a portion (typically 6-8 weeks) is designated medically necessary, the remaining time is leave without pay. 

The Faculty Sick Leave Policy states that sick leave with pay may be taken when sickness, injury, or pregnancy prevent the employee’s performance of duty or when a member of his or her family is actually ill. 

If your accrued state sick leave will exhaust prior to being released from medical care, you may wish to apply for State Sick Leave Pool. All employees at TWU are eligible for State Sick Leave Pool. The amount of State Sick Leave Pool that an employee is eligible for is based upon their years of service. The documents needed to apply for State Sick Leave Pool are available here, or contact the Leave Coordinator  for assistance. State Sick Leave Pool is strictly limited to those situations clearly falling within the definition of State Sick Leave Pool.

Important reminders:

• Any calendar month that is fully unpaid will result in the Faculty member being responsible for both the employee and employer portion of their benefits premiums. The Faculty member will be notified by the TWU Leave Coordinator to contact ERS (Employee Retirement System) at 877-275-4377 to arrange for payment directly to ERS should a fully unpaid month occur.
• If the day before or the day after a paid holiday is unpaid, the holiday will also be unpaid.
• When out on continuous leave, employees are not allowed to utilize any accruals earned during their leave. Those accruals will be available for future leaves, but not for the current leave.
• Should the Faculty member wish to add the new child to their insurance coverage, they have a 30 day window from the date of birth in which to do this. This can be accomplished on the ERS website at www.ers.texas.gov, or by calling ERS at 877-275-4377, or by contacting the Benefits team.

Staff  

Staff who accrue sick leave may use sick during the time a doctor certifies that the employee or immediate family member, such as a spouse or child, are under the care of a doctor. If the employee takes a full 12 weeks of leave, and only a portion (typically 6-8 weeks) is designated medically necessary, the remaining time is either vacation or leave without Pay. Before entering a leave without pay status, staff will be required to apply all available compensatory time, banked overtime, and vacation for this period. Sick leave is strictly limited to those situations clearly falling within the definition of sick leave. If the employee does not have available leave the positon is protected but time away from work is without pay.

The State Sick Leave Guide states that sick leave with pay may be taken when sickness, injury, or pregnancy prevent the employee’s performance of duty or when a member of his or her family is actually ill. 

If your accrued state sick leave will exhaust prior to being released from medical care, you may wish to apply for State Sick Leave Pool. All employees at TWU are eligible for State Sick Leave Pool. The amount of State Sick Leave Pool that an employee is eligible for is based upon their years of service. The documents needed to apply for State Sick Leave Pool are available here, or contact the Leave Coordinator for assistance. State Sick Leave Pool is strictly limited to those situations clearly falling within the definition of State Sick Leave Pool.

Important reminders:

• Any calendar month that is fully unpaid will result in the Staff member being responsible for both the employee and employer portion of their benefits premiums. The Staff member will be notified by the TWU Leave Coordinator to contact ERS (Employee Retirement System) at 877-275-4377 to arrange for payment directly to ERS should a fully unpaid month occur.
• If the day before or the day after a paid holiday is unpaid, the holiday will also be unpaid.
• When out on continuous leave, employees are not allowed to utilize any accruals earned during their leave. Those accruals will be available for future leaves, but not for the current leave.
• Should the Faculty member wish to add the new child to their insurance coverage, they have a 30 day window from the date of birth in which to do this. This can be accomplished on the ERS website at www.ers.texas.gov, or by calling ERS at 877-275-4377, or by contacting the Benefits team. 

Get answers to frequently asked questions here.  FAQs