Paid Medical Leave Act - PMLA

Summary

Effective March 29, 2019 per Michigan’s Paid Medical Leave Act (PMLA), employers must provide one hour of leave for every 35 hours worked up to 40 hours annually for eligible employees to use for the qualifying reasons below. 

 Procedures

1. 1. Qualifying reasons:
      • For an employee or family member’s mental or physical illness, injury or health condition, treatment for these and for preventive medical care.
      • If the eligible employee or family member is a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault. Additionally including:
        • For medical care or psychological or other counseling;
        • To receive services from a victim services organization;
        • To relocate;
        • To obtain legal services; or
        • To participate in any civil or criminal proceedings related to or resulting from the domestic violence or sexual assault.
      • For the closure of the eligible employee’s primary workplace by order of a public official.
      • If an employee needs to care for a child because the school or place of care is closed by order of a public official.
      • If an employee or family member contracts a communicable disease and must stay isolated to avoid jeopardizing the health of others.
   2. Qualifying family member:
      • • A biological, adopted or foster child, stepchild or legal ward, or a child to whom the employee stands in loco parentis.
        • A biological parent, foster parent, stepparent, adoptive parent or legal guardian of an eligible employee or employee’s spouse. Also including an individual who stood in loco parentis when the eligible employee was a minor child.
        • An individual to whom the eligible employee is legally married to under the laws of any state.
        • A grandparent.
        • A grandchild.
        • A biological, foster or adopted sibling.
   3. PMLA hours are not in addition to current paid leaves provided by the College. PMLA hours will be provided in a lump sum annually to eligible employees and do not carry over from year to year.
   4. Employees who are absent from work shall be responsible for notifying their supervisor immediately.
   5. PMLA time must be used in no less than one-hour increments.
   6. Employees returning to work after four or more consecutive days off due to a serious illness, injury, health condition, diagnosis and/or treatment must submit a statement to the Human Resources Office indicating full release to return to work without restrictions, or indicating specific restrictions under which employment could be resumed.
   7. An employee who in the opinion of the Supervisor and in conjunction with the Director of Human Resources, is abusing his/her PMLA leave, will receive a verbal notice of warning.  If at the discretion of the Supervisor and Human Resources Director the abuse continues, the employee may be required to submit to the Human Resources Office a physician's statement for any future absences.
   8. Unused PMLA will not be paid out upon separation of employment and will not be reinstated if employee is rehired.

Participation
Full/part-time hourly employees

Revision/review dates
3/19