Paid Leave Oregon
Effective September 3, 2023, paid leave will be available for eligible Reed College employees as described in this Reed College Paid Leave Program (the “program”). The program covers all employees of Reed except for student employees.
The program does not replace any existing leave programs, such as the Oregon Family Medical Leave Act (OFLA), Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), or Oregon Sick Leave. When a request for paid leave also qualifies as leave protected under OFLA and/or FMLA, those leaves will run concurrently.
Benefit Eligibility
All covered employees (faculty and staff) who have earned a minimum of $1,000 in gross wages during the previous year, and experience a qualifying event will be considered eligible for benefits provided under the program. Wages from all employment in the state of Oregon will be included in this calculation. The period used to confirm benefit eligibility is the first four (4) of the five (5) completed quarters before the start of the benefit year.
Types of Leave
The program will provide coverage for the following types of leave:
- Parental leave to bond with a newborn child within the first twelve (12) months after birth, adoption, or foster placement.
- An additional period of leave limited to two (2) weeks may be granted for injury, illness, or other conditions relating to pregnancy and childbirth (regardless of gender).
- Medical leave due to your own serious health condition.
- Family leave to care for a family member experiencing a serious health condition.
- Safe leave.
If an employee is unsure whether their situation may qualify for paid leave under the program, they should contact a member of the Reed human resources team for assistance.
Requests for paid leave benefits may be submitted to human resources up to four (4) months in advance of the anticipated leave start date. When the need for leave is not known in advance of the leave start date, employees may submit their request for leave up to three (3) business days after the start of leave. If the employee is incapacitated or otherwise unable to contact the college, a family member may submit the request for paid leave benefits on their behalf. For safe leave, employees must provide reasonable advance notice unless doing so is not feasible.
Verification of Eligibility
Employees requesting paid leave benefits will be required to submit documentation confirming the need for leave
Paid Leave Benefits
Employees will be provided with up to twelve (12) weeks of paid leave per benefit year in any combination of family, medical, or safe leave. An additional two (2) weeks of paid leave will be provided for limitations related to pregnancy.
Paid Leave may be taken in increments equal to one workday or one workweek. Employees may take leave in a consecutive block of time or intermittently as non-consecutive periods.
Benefit Amounts
Reed will calculate an employee’s weekly benefit based on the employee’s average weekly wages prior to the start of the benefit year.
The employee’s weekly benefit amount will depend on the employee’s expected annual earnings:
- Tier 1: Employees with an average weekly wage between $0 and $1,250 during the Paid Leave Calculation Period will receive pay equal to 100% of the employee’s average weekly wage.
- Tier 2: Employees with an average weekly wage of more than $1,250 during the Paid Leave Calculation Period will receive pay equal to the Tier 1 maximum benefit plus 50% of the employee’s average weekly wages up to a maximum total benefit of $1,875 per week ($1,250 for the Tier 1 benefit + $625 under Tier 2).
- The weekly benefit amount described in the program will always meet or exceed what an employee would receive through the State of Oregon’s program, and amounts will be adjusted as the State Average Weekly Wage adjusts from year to year.
In any given benefit year, an employee shall not receive wages under the program that exceed an amount equal to
- The employee’s weekly benefit amount multiplied by 12 for any combination of family, medical, or safe leave; or
- The employee’s weekly benefit amount multiplied by 12 for any combination of family, medical, or safe leave plus two additional weeks of leave paid at the employee’s weekly benefit amount for limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition, including but not limited to lactation for a total of 14 weeks of paid leave.
Benefit Payments
Benefit payments will be made in accordance with Reed regular pay schedule.
Applying for a leave
Find more information regarding applying for a leave as well as the leave of absence request form on this page.
Approval Process
A representative of the Reed College Human Resources team will review all requests for paid leave under the plan and make a determination based on the facts available as to whether the request is approved or denied. Additional information and/or documentation may be requested if deemed necessary to establish facts relating to eligibility or qualification for benefits. Employees have ten (10) calendar days from the date of a request for additional information to respond to such a request or a determination will be made based on the facts available. Refer to the section titled Verification of Eligibility for more details.
All approval designations will be provided to the employee in writing, either in hard copy or electronically, within five (5) business days of the request being received by human resources.
Upon approval of a request for paid leave, the employee will be provided with a Notice of Approval and Designation of Leave form which will include the amount of paid leave available, the weekly benefit amount, and the benefit plan year start and end dates.
An employee may request a review of the initial determination if they disagree with the results. Requests for an appeal review must be submitted in writing, either via hard copy or electronically, to the assistant director of human resources within twenty (20) calendar days from the date of the initial written determination. A covered employee may submit an appeal to the assistant director of human resources for the following reasons:
- Approval or denial of a request for leave covered under the Paid Leave Program.
- The weekly benefit amount calculated as payable to a covered employee under ORS 657B.050 (amount of benefits).
- Disqualification from the receipt of paid leave benefits including liability or repayment of benefits paid as per ORS 657B.120 (false statements or failure to report material fact).
No Discrimination
Reed will not discriminate or retaliate against any employee for inquiring about, requesting, or taking leave pursuant to Paid Leave Oregon.
Additional Information
Employees who have questions regarding leave should contact the Reed human resources team for assistance.