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Medical & Behavioral Health

Medical and behavioral health leaveÌýprovides full-time staff and faculty the necessary time to prioritize their well-being and concentrate on recovering from medical conditions or psychological challenges

Sick leave

Sick leave allows you to care for yourself or a family member in cases of illness, preventive care, or to obtain assistance or guidance in stalking, sexual abuse, or domestic violence.

Short term medical leave

Short Term Medical Leave provides up to 26 weeks of income protection for eligible staff and faculty who are unable to work due to a non-occupational illness or injury.

AU automatically enrolls eligible full-time staff and facultyÌýin Short Term Medical Leave coverage at no cost to you.ÌýThe maximum Short Term Medical Leave benefit payment period is six months, after which you may be eligible for Long Term Disability (LTD) coverage.

Long term disability

Long Term Disability (LTD) coverage replaces a portion of monthly salary for eligible full-time staff and faculty unable to work due to illness or injury after exhausting Short Term Medical Leave.

The cost of Long Term Disability is based on your salary and is shared evenly by you and the university.

Leave process

  1. Complete the American University 30 days before the start of the requested leave, if known, or as soon as possible for emergency situations.

  2. Contact Prudential Insurance to start a claim 30 days before the start of the requested leave, if known, or as soon as possible for emergency situations. See the Prudential Reporting an FMLA Absence or Disability brochure.

  3. Apply for DC Paid Family Leave benefits on the DC Department of Employment Services website as soon as possible AFTER the qualifying event occurs.

    The AU leave plans that coordinate with theÌýDC Paid Family Leave (PFL) require that you apply for leave under PFL in order to receive the university-provided benefits. Employees who qualify to receive a PFL benefit will have their university-provided leave benefit payments offset in an amount equal to the payment received from the District of Columbia. The DC PFL benefit will run concurrently with other applicable FMLA benefits. Additional details can be found below.

Sick leave

Sick leave allows you to care for yourself or a family member in cases of illness, preventive care, or to obtain assistance or guidance in stalking, sexual abuse, or domestic violence. Please advise your supervisor that you'll be out.

Full-time staff and library faculty accrue 12 days per year with no cap. If you’re out more than 3 days, documentation may be required.

Short term medical leave

Full-time staff and library faculty with six or more months of service are eligible for Short Term Medical Leave (STML). Short Term Medical Leave provides up to 26 weeks of income protection if you are unable to work due to a non-occupational illness or injury.

  • Full-time staff and library facultyÌýreceive up to 100% of pay for up to 12 weeks after a one-week waiting period. The benefit received will be offset by any amount received from DC Paid Family Leave*.
  • You may use accrued sick or annual leave during the one-week waiting period to receive pay.
  • Paid benefits reduce from 100% to 75% of salary in weeks 14 through 26.
  • Short Term Medical Leave runs concurrently with DC and Federal Family Medical Leave (FML) which provides unpaid job protection.
  • Benefits continue until the earliest of:
    • The date you are no longer disabled, or
    • The date you reach the maximum benefit period.

AU automatically enrolls you in Short Term Medical Leave coverage at no cost to you. Coverage begins after six months of employment if you are a full-time staff member or library faculty. The maximum Short Term Medical Leave benefit payment period is six months, after which you may be eligible for Long Term Disability (LTD) coverage.

*DC Paid Family Leave pays a percentage of your salary. Use theÌý to estimate your weekly benefit.

Long term disability

Long Term Disability (LTD) coverage replaces a portion of your monthly salary if you are unable to work due to illness or injury after a waiting period designed to follow after you have used your 180 days of Short Term Medical Leave.

  • Full-time staff and library faculty receive 60% of pay**.
  • The cost of Long Term Disability is based on your salary and is shared evenly by you and the university. You may not elect to drop Long Term Disability coverage; participation is required.
  • Your retirement contributions continue while you are on Long Term Disability, up to 15%. If you participate in the retirement plan and are approved for Long Term Disability, your contributions will continue at no additional expense to you for up to 15% of your pre-disability earnings. You must be participating in the retirement plan prior to receiving LTD payments to receive this benefit. The insurance company will make the contributions directly to your TIAA and/or Fidelity accounts.
  • The maximum benefit period is:
    • Up to age 65 or your normal Social Security retirement age
    • 24 months for mental/nervous and substance abuse disabilities

**LTD benefits are calculated using your current base annual salary prior to the date your disability begins. Only 50% of any benefit paid to you under the plan is taxable income to you as the premiums are shared by you and the university. Benefits are coordinated with disability benefits under other plans, such as Social Security and state disability programs.

Short term medical leave

Full-time faculty are eligible for Short Term Medical Leave (STML) on their first day of full-time employment at AU. Short Term Medical Leave provides up to 26 weeks of income protection if you are unable to work due to a non-occupational illness or injury.

  • Full-time faculty receive up to 100% of pay for up to 13 weeks. The benefit received will be offset by any amount received from DC Paid Family Leave*.
  • Paid benefits reduceÌýfrom 100% to 75% of salary in weeks 14 through 26.
  • Short Term Medical Leave runs concurrently with DC and Federal Family Medical Leave (FML), which provides unpaid job protection.
  • Benefits continue until the earliest of:
    • The date you are no longer disabled, or
    • The date you reach the maximum benefit period.

AU automatically enrolls you in Short Term Medical Leave coverage at no cost to you. The maximum Short Term Medical Leave benefit payment period is six months, after which you may be eligible for Long Term Disability (LTD) coverage.

*DC Paid Family Leave pays a percentage of your salary. Use the to estimate your weekly benefit.

Long term disability

Long term disability coverage replaces a portion of your monthly salary if you are unable to work due to illness or injury after a waiting period designed to follow after you have used your 180 days of Short Term Medical Leave.

  • Full-time faculty receive 60% of pay*.
  • The cost of Long Term Disability is based on your salary and is shared evenly by you and the university. You may not elect to drop Long Term Disability coverage; participation is required.
  • Your retirement contributions continue while you are on Long Term Disability, up to 15%. If you participate in the retirement plan and are approved for Long Term Disability, your contributions will continue at no additional expense to you for up to 15% of your pre-disability earnings. You must be participating in the retirement plan prior to receiving LTD payments to receive this benefit. The insurance company will make the contributions directly to your TIAA and/or Fidelity accounts.
  • The maximum benefit period is:
    • Up to age 65 or your normal Social Security retirement age
    • 24 months for mental/nervous and substance abuse disabilities†

**LTD benefits are calculated using your current base annual salary prior to the date your disability begins. Only 50% of any benefit paid to you under the plan is taxable income to you, as the premiums are shared by you and the university. Benefits are coordinated with disability benefits under other plans, such as Social Security and state disability programs.

Sick leave

Sick leave allows you to care for yourself or a family member in case ofÌýillness, preventive care, or to obtain assistance or guidance in stalking, sexual abuse, or domestic violence. Please advise your supervisor that you'll be out.

Eligible part-time staff accrue up to seven days per year with no cap.ÌýIf you’re out more than 3 days, documentation may be required.

Short term medical leave

If you are unable to work due to a non-occupational illness or injury, part-time staff may be eligible to apply for up to two weeks of DC Paid Medical Leave.

  • DC Paid Family Leave pays a percentage of your salary. Use the to estimate your weekly benefit.
  • You may use accrued sick leave to supplement any DC Paid Medical Leave benefit you receive.

DC Paid Medical Leave

If you are unable to work due to a non-occupational illness or injury, adjunct faculty may be eligible to apply for DC Paid Family Leave for medical leave.

DC Paid FamilyÌýLeave pays a percentage of your salary.

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As with all benefits, you should refer to the appropriate sectionÌýof the Faculty Staff Benefits Manual, applicable policy, or the official plan documents for more extensive information concerning your benefits plans. In the event of any conflict between the information on this website or the appropriate descriptive sections of the Faculty/Staff Benefits Manual and the official plan documents, the plan documents will govern.

AU Leave Request

To request medical, family, or parental leave, complete the AU Leave Request form.

Report an FMLA absence or disability

Report an FMLA absence or disability by calling Prudential at 877-367-7781, orÌývisiting theÌý. Follow the instructions to Report Time out of Work.

Return to Work Release

The Return to Work Release form must beÌýcompleted by your physician and approved by HR prior to returning to work. List any restrictions on this form.

Please note that this process can take a week or longer.

Download Return to Work form

DC Paid Family Leave