Leave Policy Overview

ALL AVAILABLE LEAVES WILL RUN CONCURRENTLY AT ALL TIMES

One-Time GME Leave Benefit

Beginning on the first day of employment, all residents/fellows have up to 6 weeks of paid medical, family or caregiver leave available that may be used for qualifying reasons consistent with Connecticut law. This one-time leave will be paid at 100% of pay for both Medical and Family Leave reasons. Vacation and sick time for medical leaves, and vacation time for family leaves is required to be used toward the leave.

Employees can reserve two weeks of vacation time for future use if available at the time of leave. If the first leave required is longer than 6 weeks or if a second leave is required during residency, the leave coverage available will fall under the CT Paid Leave Law. If the criteria for CT Paid Leave is not met and a leave greater than 6 weeks is required, the remaining leave will be unpaid.

CT Paid Leave Benefit

All leaves of absence will be paid per Capital Area Health Consortium’s (CAHC) CT Paid Leave Private Plan. To be eligible for CT Paid Leave, residents/fellows must have been employed by CAHC for at least 3 months. If employed in CT before joining CAHC, residents/fellows may be eligible for the CT Paid Leave benefit at an earlier time if the eligibility criteria are met.

The rates of pay are as follows:

Medical/Maternity Leave:

• Paid at 100% of pay for the “medical leave” period that the resident/fellow’s health provider indicates they are unable to work for health reasons (for maternity leave, the health provider will authorize 6 weeks following a non-surgical delivery and 8 weeks following a surgical delivery). An employee may be granted an extension of “medical leave” by submitting updated medical documentation from their health care provider indicating the medical reason the extension is required.
• Additional leave time taken past the “medical leave” period will be considered “family leave” and will be paid at the approved State rate (see below for further details).

Family/Non-Medical Leave:

• Paid at the State maximum benefit rate. On 1/1/24, the rate increased to $941.40/week or $1,882.80/bi-weekly.

Leave Duration:

Medical and Family Leave under the CT Paid Family and Medical Leave Act is for up to 12 weeks of pay in a 12-month period. An additional 2 weeks of paid leave time may be provided for pregnancy incapacities. A maximum of 12 total days of paid leave compensation may be paid in a single calendar year for leave due to the Covered Employee being the victim of family violence.

Taxability of Paid Leave Income

• FICA and FLI taxes are not required on paid leave income and will not be withheld from leave pay, resulting in a higher net leave pay. CT Paid Leave will continue to withhold Federal and State tax since leave pay is taxable under these jurisdictions.

Accrued Time Requirement

For Medical Leaves, vacation and sick time is required to be used, and for Family Leaves, vacation time is required to be used prior to receiving any paid leave benefits under CAHC’s private plan. Employees can reserve two weeks of vacation time for future use if available at the time of leave.

Qualifying Leave Reasons Under CT Law

• Medical Leave – to care for your own serious health condition.
• Non-Medical/Family Leaves – to attend to family responsibilities.
  • Parental Leave to bond with a newborn child or one that has joined the family through adoption or foster care.
  • Maternity Leave Post Medical Period to bond with a newborn child once the medical leave period has ended.
  • Caregiver Leave to care for a covered family member with a serious health condition.
  • Family Violence Leave to attend to specific issues associated with family violence.
  • Military Exigency or Military Caregiver Leave to attend to specific issues associated with a covered family member’s deployment, care for an active duty injured service member, or to care for a veteran with a serious health condition.

Leave Paperwork

All leaves of absence require specific paperwork verifying the need for leave and its beginning and ending dates. Early submission of this paperwork will help CAHC to provide the resident/fellow with continuous pay so please submit as soon as possible. Please contact CAHC to obtain leave paperwork. Please be advised that all leave paperwork including return to work notes for medical leaves must be returned to CAHC and not to the program or the GME office.

Requesting Leave

In the case of foreseeable leaves, residents/fellows must provide at least 30 days’ notice to CAHC and their program before the leave begins. If the leave is unforeseeable, you must provide notice to CAHC and your program as soon as practicable.

Extending a Medical Leave

Residents/fellows may extend a medical leave for the same condition by submitting updated medical documentation from their health care provider indicating the reason for the extension and an estimated return to work date. A return-to-work note cannot extend medical leave. An extension must be provided by the health provider stating the medical need.

 If the extension is for a new medical issue or condition, a new CTPFML application must be submitted.

Return from Leave

When possible, a resident/fellow should provide their Program Director and CAHC with at least 2 weeks’ advance notice of the date they intend to return to training.

A return to work note from the resident/fellow’s health provider stating that they are able to resume work duties is required for all Medical Leaves of absence of 3 days or more or following any hospital visit (ED or inpatient) and must be submitted to CAHC before the resident/fellow’s return to work.

If a resident/fellow is unable to return following a leave, they must contact CAHC, their Program Director, and the GME office as soon as possible.

 Time Entry (MyEvaluations) When on Leave

Residents/fellows are not required to log time when on approved leave. They may willingly enter time to keep up with it; otherwise, residents/fellows will need to attend to it immediately upon return before the next closest pay period.

• For Medical/Maternity Leaves – enter in the Sick/Med LV category
• For Family/Non-Medical Leaves – enter in the NonMedical LV category

Time Away from Training

Taking any leave may extend the time necessary to complete the program requirements for graduation as well as Board eligibility (see Contract Extension Due to Leave Guidelines Policy.pdf). Residents/fellows are responsible for understanding their Residency Review Committee/Program requirements for program completion as well as their Board requirements regarding Board eligibility, specifically as it relates to time away from their program. If more than 12 weeks of leave time is needed, the time will be unpaid and time off must be approved by your Program Director and the GME office.