After four (4) weeks of employment at Nazareth University, generally, all staff members are eligible for New York State mandated disability benefits if they are unable to work due to a non-work related injury, illness or pregnancy.

1. Notify your supervisor and Human Resources as soon as you know that you will be out of work.

2. To initiate a NYS short term disability claim, employees need to file for disability benefits with Cigna, the University's disability insurance carrier.  For all the information you need to file a claim, please review the "Reporting a Disability Leave" information. 

NYS Disability income replacement benefits have a 7-day waiting period before benefits are payable.  This waiting period begins on the first full day out of work due to a disability. 

Staff employees who are eligible for sick time, will be paid from this bank and/or other paid time off banks during the waiting period.   After the waiting period, sick time and/or other paid time off will be used to offset the NYS benefit.  Employees who are not eligible for or do not have any sick time, will be unpaid for the waiting period.

Provided an application for benefits has been approved, NYS disability payments will begin on the eighth day of disability.  NYS Short-term disability insurance provides payments of 50% of the disabled individual’s weekly wage up to a maximum of $170 per week. Employees are required to use any accrued, unused sick time to supplement NYS disability benefits to receive full pay when disabled.

Disability benefits are paid for a maximum of 26 weeks of disability during any 52 consecutive week period.  The total combined disability leave and paid family leave in any 52 week period may not exceed 26 weeks. 

Written documentation is required from the attending physician in order to return to work. This release to work needs to be received by Human Resources as soon as possible but no later than the day before an employee intends to return to work.  Cigna also needs to be notified that you have been released to return to work. 

When employees are away from work on short term disability, they are not to conduct any business on behalf of the College, including email and returning voicemails.

GINA Notice (Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008) 

• To bond with a newly born, adopted, or fostered child in the first twelve (12) months after birth or placement.

• To care for a relative with a serious health condition (including physical care and emotional support.)  A serious health condition is an illness, injury, impairment or physical or mental condition that involves; inpatient care in a hospital, hospice or residential health care facility or continuing treatment under supervision of a health care provider.
• Relatives for whom leave may be taken to provide care include a spouse, domestic  partner, child, grandchild, parent, parent-in-law, stepparent, grandparent, legal guardian or other person whom an employee has a loco parentis relationship.

• For a qualifying exigency arising from the active duty (or impending call or order to active duty) of a spouse, domestic partner, child or parent in the armed forces of the United States. 

Full Time Staff

Employees who work a regular schedule of 20 or more hours per week are eligible after 26 consecutive weeks of employment at Nazareth. 

Part Time Staff

Employees who work a regular schedule of less than 20 hours per week are eligible after working for Nazareth for 175 days within a rolling 52-week period.  

Employees who do not meet, and are not expected to meet the eligibility requirements for PFL must complete a waiver to opt out of PFL coverage.  Waiver forms are available from Human Resources. 

Employees are responsible for providing at least thirty (30) days’ notice if the leave is foreseeable. If not, notice must be provided as soon as practicable. 

Employees are to notify Human Resources, who will then complete the employer section of the “Request for Paid Family Leave” and provide to the employee within three (3) business days.  Employees will need to complete the appropriate sections on the “Request for Paid Family Leave” form and return it to the College’s insurance carrier along with any other required documentation. 

Upon their receipt, the insurance carrier will review the application and make a determination within 18 days.  

Reporting a New York Paid Family Absence with Cigna

Benefits are payable on the first day of an eligible absence. There is no elimination or waiting period.

In 2020, the maximum length of paid leave is 10 weeks.

Note: Employees taking a PFL leave are eligible for the benefit rate and number of weeks in effect on the first day of your leave.

PFL can only be taken in full-day increments. Leave can be taken in weekly increments or daily increments (intermittent leave).

In 2020, employees are eligible for up to eight weeks of paid leave at 60% of their average weekly wage (AWW), up to 60% of the New York State Average Weekly Wage (SAWW = $1,401.17/week max in 2020).

An employee may supplement PFL with any unused vacation, family sick leave or personal time in order to receive full pay during their leave.  Employees cannot use their own sick leave bank to supplement PFL.  Employees must designate if they want to supplement their pay at the onset of their PFL. 

• for incapacity due to pregnancy, prenatal medical care or child birth;
• for a serious health condition that makes you unable to perform your job;
• to care for the employee's child after birth or placement for adoption or foster care;
• to care for the your spouse, son, daughter or parent, who has a serious health condition;
• to care of a covered service member with serious injury or illness (up to 26 weeks for this type of leave); or
• for qualifying exigencies related to the foreign deployment of a military member who is the employee’s spouse, child or parent. 

Employees are eligible if they have worked for Nazareth College for at least one year and for at least 1,250 hours over the previous twelve (12) months.

FMLA leave is normally unpaid leave. The College will require that unpaid FMLA leave be taken concurrently with paid time off that may be available to employees under any other College policies or practices. 

Leaves of absence or receipt of benefits for disability, Workers’ Compensation or similar leaves will run concurrently with FMLA leave to the maximum extent permitted by law.  

All other College policies or practices with regard to paid leaves, whether fully or partially paid, are hereby amended to the extent necessary to make them consistent with these rules.

If an employee is eligible to take more than one kind of paid time off under the same circumstance as unpaid FMLA leave (for example, vacation and personal days), the paid time off benefits must be used one at a time. The employee must use at least one available paid leave, for so long as at least one of them is still available, at all times while out on an otherwise unpaid FMLA leave.