Apply for a Leave

1. Submit your request for leave through Human Resources.
   • This form notifies HR of your leave request and decision to “top off” your leave with any available sick and vacation time (sick leave will be used first, then vacation if applicable).
2. File a Claim through Unum, our approved third-party insurer.
   • Do not apply through the state of MN for your leave from Augsburg
   • Apply using your personal e-mail address
   • Watch for updates and additional requests from Unum regarding your leave
   • Unum tracks and approves your leave in accordance with MNPFML guidelines. This can be done online, by fax, or by phone through Unum.
   • Don’t want to file online? Printable Unum PFML Claim Form (PDF)

Who is Covered?

• All employees who
  • work at least 50% in Minnesota and
  • earn over 5.3% the statewide average yearly wage ($3,900 as of November 2025)
• This includes faculty, staff, adjunct faculty, and student employees

Types of Leave

All leaves are subject to Unum’s approval. Qualifying leaves lasting seven (7) or more days for the following reasons are covered under MN PFML :

Medical Leave

• Take care of yourself for a serious health condition.
• A serious health condition means a physical or mental illness, injury, impairment, condition, or substance use disorder.
• Taking care of yourself for this serious condition may involve evaluation, treatment, inpatient care, recovery, or not being able to perform regular work, attend school, or do regular daily activities.
• This includes childbirth, conditions related to pregnancy, or surgery.

Family Leave

• Bonding leave – to care for and bond with a new child welcomed through birth, adoption, or foster placement
• Caring leave – to care for a family member with a serious health condition
• Military family leave – to support a family member called to active duty
• Safety leave – to respond to issues such as domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

What Are the Benefits?

• Up to 20 weeks of combined leave per benefit year
  • Up to 12 weeks of medical leave
  • Up to 12 weeks of family leave
  • A benefit year is a 52-week period that starts on the first day an employee is absent from work for a qualified reason.
• While on leave
  • Job protection
  • Insurance continuation
  • Partial wage replacement (PFML Benefits Estimate Calculator)

Who Pays for this Benefit?

Employees and their employers share the cost of the benefit premiums.

• Augsburg will pay at least 50% of premiums
• Employees pay 0.44% of wages as a post-tax deduction

Claim Process Through Unum

There are generally three steps needed for your claim to be approved. 

1. File a claim through Unum. This starts the claims process and requests more details about your leave. You can state if you want a continuous, intermittent, or reduced schedule leave. 
2. Submit a healthcare provider certification. The easiest way to accomplish this is by using the Unum PFML Claim Form. Pages 6 through 8 will go to your healthcare provider. Unum will also reach out to your provider for this information.
   • Ensure that the dates of leave are communicated to your healthcare provider. If the dates you requested leave do not match your healthcare provider certification, Unum may not approve your full requested leave.
3. The employer certification form. Unum will send Augsburg the employer portion of the form to complete.

Unum estimates that a claim can take up to 5 days to be fully processed once all items are received. Claim approval may be delayed if information is missing or incomplete. If your leave has been submitted but not yet approved, and you have begun your leave, the University will provide up to two weeks of pay based on anticipated leave payroll payments. 

Unum will approve or deny your claim based on the information provided. Augsburg will use the leave dates approved by Unum. You are expected to return to work on the date that is specified by Unum. If you have remaining MNPFML hours and need to extend your leave, you must contact Unum to request an extension and notify the benefits team. Time off that extends beyond the dates specified by Unum is considered unapproved. If you are taking medical leave, you may be eligible for short-term disability after your PFML leave is exhausted.

FACULTY: You may elect to use available sick time to extend your leave until the end of the semester. Please be advised that you may have unpaid time if your sick time reaches zero while on leave.

Wage “Top Off”

Employees may top off their PFML benefits using accrued sick and vacation time. Employees must share their top-off preferences by using the Leave Request form.

Wages	$20 / hr $41,600 / yr	$25 / hr $52,000 / yr	$37.50 / hr $78,000 / yr
Annual Premium	$183	$228	$343
Weekly Wage	$800	$1,000	$1,500
MNPFML Benefit	$699 (87%)	$831 (83%)	$1,152 (77%)
Sick / Vacation to Top Off	5.2 hrs	6.8 hrs	9.2 hrs
x 12 Weeks	62.4 hrs	81.6 hrs	110.4 hrs

Birth and Bonding Leave

Intermittent and Reduced Scheduled Leaves

An intermittent or reduced schedule leave can be adjusted to best meet your needs. Unum determines the intermittent or reduced schedule leave based on your claim. 

Staff

While on intermittent leave, you will continue to manage your timesheet and will indicate the days you are absent due to a medical/ family leave event, which payroll will then review and adjust with a top-off if elected. Augsburg approves leave in half-day increments, so you will record either four (40 hours or eight (8) hours of “Medical/Family Leave Request” on your timesheet, regardless of whether you are an hourly or salaried employee.

Faculty

If you take leave on a reduced schedule, you are expected to scale your scholarship and service at the same rate as your teaching. The reduced-schedule leave calculations are based on the reduced course load and a 40-hour full-time workweek (and yes, we know that isn’t always the reality). Our internal policy requires taking leave in 4-hour increments. You will use paid leave during the weeks of the academic term, including fall or spring break, but it will not apply to breaks between terms.

If you are looking for a one-course release, you would request 12 hours of a reduced schedule per week.

Calculation:

1/3 * 40 = 13.333. Rounding to the nearest 4-hour increment = 12 hours paid leave per week

Updates to Sick Accruals

Accrued sick and vacation time can be used to “top off” PML and STD benefits. Faculty and Staff at or above 0.5 FTE will accrue at the following rates:

	Staff	Faculty
Accrual Rate	4 hours per pay period (pro-rated to FTE)	48 hours per year, front-loaded at the beginning of the academic year
Maximum Accrual	400 hours	240 hours
Usage	Hourly: 15 minute increments Salaried: 4 hour increments	Only use for leaves > 6 consecutive days

Faculty accruals were retroactively credited on January 1, 2026. The faculty maximum accrual is lower than staff because sick leave does not need to be used for leaves under seven days.

Short-Term Disability

Augsburg’s self-funded Short-Term Disability (STD) program provides 66% wage replacement for eligible employees (calculated before any sick/vacation top-off is applied).

Feature	Details
Eligibility	Faculty and Staff at or above 0.5 FTE
Total Duration	Up to 26 weeks of partial wage replacement for a qualifying personal medical condition.
Coordination with Paid Medical Leave (PML)	STD runs concurrently with PML.
Wage Replacement Breakdown	First 12 Weeks: PML pays the initial benefit. If PML is less than 66% of your base wage, STD supplements the PML benefit to provide a total of 66% of the current base wage. After 12 Weeks (PML Expiration): If you still qualify, you can receive an additional 14 weeks of STD benefits, providing 66% of your current base wage.
Long-Term Disability (LTD)	After 180 days of medical leave, you may apply for Long-Term Disability.

How Are Leave Benefits Paid and Taxed?

Leave benefits will be paid through Augsburg’s regular biweekly payroll. Payroll will automatically withhold federal and state taxes on Family leave and the portion of Medical leave benefits attributable to the employer-paid premiums. (If the employer pays 60% of the premiums, 60% of the benefit is attributable to the employer and taxable).

How Are Other Leaves Impacted?

• Prior Paid Parent Leave benefits sunset on December 31, 2025
• Faculty medical & parental leave benefits are replaced by PFML and STD benefits
• Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) unpaid job protections run concurrently to MNPFML leaves

All changes will be considered “pilot” policies, which will be reviewed prior to December 31, 2026.

Where Can I Learn More?

• Contact Unum for information about filing claims.
• MN Paid Leave Website – Information only, Do Not Apply Through The State of MN
• MN Paid Family and Medical Leave Webinar Recording – November 21, 2025

What if I have Multiple Conditions in One Benefit Year?

You can take leave for more than one qualifying reason in the same year. However, leave covered by PFML is limited to 12 weeks of medical leave and 12 weeks of family leave, not to exceed 20 weeks combined, per benefit year.

Medical conditions longer than 12 weeks may be eligible for coverage under the short-term disability policy.

Leaves in excess of the PFML and short-term disability policies are subject to approval and may be unpaid.

Do I have to Take Leave All At Once?

No. You can take leave in a single block of time (continuous leave) or in smaller blocks of time (intermittent leave). Approved leaves may be taken in 4-hour increments.

• Medical (PML) & Family (FML)
  • Reduced schedule (planned)
  • Intermittent (episodic)
• Bonding
  • Reduced schedule (planned)

For example,

• If you have surgery and need to be completely out of work for 6 weeks, that is a continuous leave.
• If you have a chronic condition or a family member who needs transportation to recurring treatments, you might only need to take a day or a few hours off each week. That is intermittent leave.

You should discuss what leave schedule you might need with your healthcare or service provider certifying your leave.

What if a qualifying event occurs during a scheduled break when I am not scheduled to work (ex: between academic terms)?

Employees on a nine-month appointment are not expected to perform work May 15 – August 15 and would not need to use PFML during that time.  However, they would use PFML for leaves that overlap other breaks (such as winter break).

Staff do not receive paid holidays while on a qualifying leave.