FMLA Overview

St. Cloud State University provides eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per fiscal year under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This leave is available for specific family and medical reasons and is administered in accordance with federal law, Minnesota state law, and applicable collective bargaining agreements or personnel plans. Additionally, employees are entitled to up to 26 weeks of job-protected leave to care for a covered service member with a serious injury or illness. This summary is intended to provide a general overview. For full details, please refer to the Statewide FMLA Policy or contact Human Resources for more information.

Employee Rights and Eligibility

FMLA requires covered employers to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave to "eligible" employees for certain family and medical reasons. Employees are eligible if they have worked for the employer for 12 months*, worked 1,250 hours* during the 12 months prior to the start of the leave, and at a location where the employer has 50 or more employees within 75 miles.

*The 12 months of employment are not required to be consecutive in order for the employee to qualify for FMLA leave. In general, only employment within seven years is counted unless the break in service is (1) due to an employee’s fulfillment of military obligations, or (2) governed by a collective bargaining agreement or other written agreement.

*The 1,250 hours include only those hours actually worked for the employer. Paid leave and unpaid leave, including FMLA leave, are not included.

What is Covered?

FMLA only requires unpaid leave. However, the law permits an employee to elect, or the employer to require the employee, to use accrued paid vacation leave, paid sick or family leave for some or all of the FMLA leave period. An employee must follow the employer’s normal leave rules in order to substitute paid leave. When paid leave is used for an FMLA-covered reason, the leave is FMLA-protected.

FMLA leave may be used for:

• The birth of a child or care for a newborn.
• Placement of a child for adoption or foster care.
• Caring for a spouse, child, or parent with a serious health condition.
• A serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform their job.
• Certain military family leave situations, including qualifying exigencies and care for a covered service member. For more on military-related leave, refer to the Federal Military Provisions.

What You Need to Do

• Notify HR: Let Human Resources know as soon as you anticipate needing FMLA leave. Provide notice to make the employer aware of the need for FMLA-qualifying leave, and the anticipated timing and length of leave. It is not necessary to specifically mention the FMLA, but the employee must sufficiently explain the reasons for the needed leave to allow the employer to reasonably determine whether the FMLA may apply to the leave request.
  • Timeline: An employee must provide an employer notice at least 30 days prior to leave for expected leave, or as soon as is practicable.
• Apply for FMLA: You must request FMLA leave through Workday. If you have an expected FMLA (e.g., scheduled surgery or procedure), make sure you enter your FMLA request as soon as possible. If you have an unexpected or emergency FMLA, contact HR as soon as you are able to. When we receive notice, we will reach out to the employee via email while providing the necessary documentation needed.
  • Review the Knowledge Base article for How to request FMLA in Workday.
• Submit Documentation: Release Authorizations and Medical Documentation may be required to support your leave request.
• Review: Once HR receives all applicable forms back, we would review the forms to determine if it is complete and sufficient for approval. If the certification is incomplete or insufficient, Human Resources would provide you an explaination on what additional information is necessary to make the certification complete and sufficient, and provide a deadline (at least 7 calendar days) for submitting the additional information. If the certification is not returned or if deficiencies specified by the employer are not cured, the employer may deny the taking of FMLA leave until the required
  certification is provided.
• Designation: After gathering enough information to determine whether the leave is FMLA-qualifying, HR will provide the employee with a Designation Notice.
• Time Tracking: Employees are responsible for letting their supervisors know that they must submit timecards on the employee’s behalf when the employee is out, and supervisors MUST submit timecards for the employee when the employee is out on FMLA. 
• Use of Sick Leave: Employees must use their sick leave accruals for absences that are allowed pursuant to applicable CBAs, compensation plans, policy, or law.
  • Employees who have exhausted their sick leave accruals shall be permitted to use vacation leave in lieu of sick leave for reasons covered by Section I.
  • Employees, who have not exhausted their sick leave accruals, may substitute vacation leave for sick leave when they are subject to losing vacation accruals while absent due to vacation cap restrictions identified in CBAs or compensation plan provisions. Such use shall be only to the extent necessary to prevent loss of the employee’s vacation benefits.
  • All CBA and compensation plan provisions, policies, and work rules governing sick leave requests apply to requests for vacation in lieu of sick leave.
• Communication: Ongoing communication between you and your employer will make the FMLA process run much more effeciently. Each of you has to follow guidelines about notifying the other when FMLA leave is being used. You will need to inform your employer if your need for FMLA leave
  changes while you are out (for example, if your doctor determines that you can return to work earlier than expected). Your employer may also require you to provide periodic updates on your status and your intent to return to work.
• Fitness for Duty: Return a complete and sufficient fitness-for-duty certification to human resources prior to returning to work, with or without reasonable accommodations. For questions on accommodations, please refer to our ADA Accommodation Process page.

Paid Parental Leave Overview

Eligible state employees are provided up to six (6) consecutive weeks of Paid Parental Leave (“PPL”) following: the birth of a child; the placement of a child in the employee’s home for adoption; or the placement of a child in the employee’s home to adjudicate parentage in cases of surrogacy when the employee is the intended parent. PPL is available to both parents if they are both eligible state employees.

This policy applies to executive branch, Minnesota State Retirement System, Public Employee Retirement System, and Teachers’ Retirement System employees whose terms and conditions of employment are established by a collective bargaining agreement negotiated by Minnesota Management and Budget or a compensation plan approved by Minnesota Management and Budget that contains a provision that provides eligible employees to up to six (6) weeks of PPL.

Eligibility

Full-time eligible employees are provided up to six (6) consecutive weeks of PPL, up to 40 hours per week (240 hours total), per qualifying event. Eligible employees who are not full-time employees are provided up to six (6) consecutive weeks of PPL, up to a weekly prorated amount based upon their normal work schedule, per qualifying event. For example, a 50 percent time employee may receive up to 20 hours per week of PPL for 6 weeks (120 hours total).

Eligible employees are limited to one PPL per qualifying event and one qualifying event per fiscal year. The fiscal year is July 1 to June 30.

An employee who qualifies as an “eligible employee” under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)(an employee who has been employed by the State for at least 12 months, and has worked for at least 1,250 hours during the 12-month period immediately preceding the start of leave); And an employee whose terms and conditions of employment are established by a collective bargaining agreement negotiated by Minnesota Management and Budget or a compensation plan approved by Minnesota Management and Budget that contains a provision that provides eligible employees to up to six (6) weeks of PPL.

Qualifying Event

For purposes of this policy, the term “qualifying event” refers to:

1. The employee or the employee’s spouse/partner giving birth to the employee’s child;
2. The placement of a child in the employee’s home for adoption; or
3. The placement of a child in the employee’s home to adjudicate parentage in cases of surrogacy when the employee is intended to be the permanent legal parent of the child.

The birth of multiples (twins, etc.), the concurrent placement with the employee of more than one child in a home for adoption, or the concurrent placement with the employee of more than one child to adjudicate parentage in cases of surrogacy when the employee is the intended parent constitutes a single qualifying event.

PPL May Be Used For:

PPL hours are intended to be taken consecutively, and within six (6) months of the qualifying event. At the Appointing Authority’s discretion, eligible employees may be allowed intermittent or reduced schedule use of PPL, which must be completed within twelve (12) months of the Qualifying Event.

PPL is intended to provide eligible employees who are new parents of a child paid time off to bond with the child. Therefore, PPL cannot be used:

• Prior to the child’s birth;
• Prior to the date of the child’s placement in the employee’s home for adoption by the employee; or
• Prior to the date of the child’s placement in the employee’s home to adjudicate the employee as the child’s parent in the case of surrogacy.

PPL not used within the required timeframe (i.e., within six months of the qualifying event, or a term allowed by the Appointing Authority not to exceed twelve months from the qualifying event) cannot be carried over or cashed out.

PPL cannot be used retroactively to substitute previously taken paid or unpaid leave.

Interaction with Other Paid and Unpaid Leaves

PPL will run concurrently with leave for the purpose of bonding with the employee’s new child available under the FMLA and the State parenting leave statute, Minn. Stat. § 181.941. PPL will also run concurrently with any unpaid leave(s) that employees may be provided under other provisions of the applicable labor contract or compensation plan for the purposes of bonding with the employee’s new child.

Prior to using PPL, employees must first exhaust accrued sick leave hours for reasons that qualify for sick leave usage under the applicable labor contract or compensation plan. PPL, whether it is taken on a continuous, intermittent, or reduced schedule basis, is to be used consecutively following the use of sick leave. For the hours for which employees receive PPL, employees cannot also be paid for other types of paid leave, such as sick, vacation, or compensatory time.

An employee who is taking FMLA leave must inform the agency if they will receive short-term disability benefits, long-term disability benefits, or workers’ compensation benefits. Employees who are on FMLA leave and receiving such benefits are not considered to be on unpaid leave under the FMLA and are, therefore, not required to substitute or supplement with accrued sick leave or PPL. In the event the employee chooses to use PPL under these circumstances, the employee must comply with the terms and conditions of the applicable labor agreement or compensation plan, this policy, and the agency’s normal leave policies.

PPL will be treated like other forms of paid leave for purposes of accruals, benefit eligibility, and rate of pay.

For more information, contact Human Resources or review your Collective Bargraining Agreement and Compensation Plan. Refer to the HR/LR Paid Parental Leave Policy and Frequently Asked Questions.

Overview

Sick Leave or Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) is a paid leave employers must provide to employees in Minnesota that can be used for certain reasons, including when an employee is sick, to care for a sick family member or to seek assistance if an employee or their family member has experienced domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking.

Eligibility

An employee who performs work for at least eighty (80) hours in a year in Minnesota accrues a minimum of one (1) hour of sick leave for every thirty (30) hours worked, up to a maximum of forty-eight (48) hours earned in a year. Employees may use accrued sick leave hours as authorized pursuant to State law and the applicable collective bargaining agreement or compensation plan, and are protected from retaliation, adverse action, or discrimination because the employee exercised or attempted to exercise rights protected under applicable law. See Minnesota Statutes, sections M.S. 181.9445-181.9448 for more information.

What is Covered?

Employees may use Sick Leave for reasons including, but not limited to:

• The employee’s mental or physical illness, treatment or preventive care
• A family member’s mental or physical illness, treatment or preventive care
• Absence due to domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking of the employee or a family member
• Closure of the employee’s workplace due to weather or public emergency or closure of a family member’s school or care facility due to weather or public emergency
• When determined by a health authority or health care professional that the employee or a family member is at risk of infecting others with a communicable disease
• Making funeral arrangements, attend a funeral service or memorial or address financial or legal matters that arise after the death of a family member.

What You Need To Do

If the need for use of sick leave is foreseeable, employees must provide notice of the intention to use sick leave as directed by the employee’s CBA or compensation plan and agency policies and procedures, but in all circumstances shall not be required to provide more than seven days’ advance notice. You would then request your Sick Leave absence through through Workday.

If the need for use of sick leave is unforeseeable, employees must provide notice of the intention to use sick leave as soon as practicable.

Documentation Needed?

When an employee uses accrued sick leave for more than three consecutive scheduled work days, human resources may require reasonable documentation under M.S. 181.9447, subd. 3, and in accordance with the applicable CBA or compensation plan.

Monitoring Sick Leave

Supervisors will regularly review employee attendance records for evidence of abuse of accrued sick leave. If abuse of sick leave is suspected, supervisors shall notify Human Resources.

Sick Leave Abuse

Abuse of sick leave is defined as the use of sick leave by an employee for a purpose other than those authorized by the applicable CBA, compensation plan, policy, or law. Where a supervisor has reason to believe that abuse of sick leave has occurred or is occurring, the supervisor should contact Human Resources.

Abuse of sick leave or other violation of this policy may be subject to discipline, up to and including discharge.

For more information, contact Human Resources or review your Collective Bargraining Agreement and Compensation Plan.

Overview

Sabbatical leaves are provided to maintain the high level of academic excellence necessary to meet the missions of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and its institutions. Sabbatical leaves may be awarded for various reasons related to scholarly or professional growth, development, or renewal, including creative endeavors that promise to enhance the professional effectiveness of the applicant. See the link below for more information:

• Minnesota State Sabbatical Leave Information

Sabbatical Leave Forms:

• Sabbatical Leave Guidelines and Request Form: MSUAASF (PDF)
• Sabbatical Leave Guidelines: Faculty (PDF)
• Sabbatical Leave Application Form: Faculty (PDF)
• Sabbatical Leave Report Form (PDF)

Visit Academic Affair's Sabbatical Leave page for more information on requirements and considerations.

Overview

Starting in January 2026, Paid Leave will ensure Minnesota can take the time they need to be there for some of life's most important moments - like welcoming a child, recovering from a serious illness, or caring for a loved one.

Video Overview

Intro to Paid Leave from Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development on Youtube.

Stay Informed

Paid Leave is building a program with Minnesotans that works for everyone who needs it – including employers, individuals, health care and social service providers. This partnership will make Paid Leave stronger when it launches on January 1, 2026, and will ensure we continue to improve the way we serve Minnesotans. More information to come.

Visit the Minnesota Paid Leave website for more information.

Paid Leave of Absences

Paid leaves of absences granted under this Article shall not exceed the employee's normal work schedule. This section contains generalized information for all notable paid leave types. Please review your bargaining agreement or plan for your specified leave information.

Vacation Leave

With the exception of faculty under the IFO agreement, Employees, including those in the Connect 700 Program and supervisors, are generally eligible to accrue Vacation Leave if appointed for a period exceeding six months and are in payroll status, with exceptions for intermittent, emergency, and temporary employees. Intermittent employees become eligible after completing sixty-seven working days within a twelve-month period. Connect 700 Program participants are considered eligible during their on-the-job demonstration process, though vacation leave used during this time does not count toward their 700-hour trial period. Employees or supervisors appointed to emergency or temporary status from layoff, or to temporary unclassified positions exceeding six months, also retain eligibility. Specific provisions apply to nurses and ASF Members, with eligibility based on appointment type and duration.

Additionally, depending on your bargraining agreement, you may be eligible for Vacation Transfers or Vacation Donations. Review your bargaining agreement or plan for more specific information.

Holiday Leave

Eligible employees across all bargaining units—including supervisors, nurses, faculty, coaches, ASF Members, and Connect 700 Program participants—receive paid holidays and one floating holiday per fiscal year. Eligibility generally requires being in payroll status and appointed for more than six months. Intermittent, emergency, and temporary employees may have limited eligibility, though exceptions apply for those meeting specific work thresholds or returning from layoff.

Eligible employees are granted paid time off for the following holidays:

• New Year’s Day
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Presidents’ Day
• Memorial Day
• Juneteenth
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Veterans Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Day After Thanksgiving
• Christmas Day

Holiday Observance

• Monday–Friday Schedules:
  • Holidays falling on a Saturday are observed on the preceding Friday
  • Holidays falling on a Sunday are observed on the following Monday
• Six- or Seven-Day Schedules:
  • Holidays are observed on the actual calendar date

Connect 700 Program participants are considered eligible during their on-the-job demonstration period, but holiday hours used during this time do not count toward their 700-hour trial requirement.

Floating Holiday

Each eligible employee receives one floating holiday per fiscal year. Requests must be submitted at least 14 calendar days in advance, though supervisors may waive this requirement based on staffing needs.

Additionally, Floating holidays:

• Cannot be carried over or paid out
• Must be used in full-day increments
• Are subject to operational needs

Bereavement Leave

Employees may be granted a reasonable period of bereavement leave in the event of the death of a close family member or loved one. This typically includes relationships such as a spouse, domestic partner, child, stepchild, parent, stepparent, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, guardian, ward, or other individuals with a significant personal connection. Leave may also be granted in cases of pregnancy loss or stillbirth.

• Duration: Up to five (5) days per occurrence may be granted, depending on the relationship and circumstances.
• Leave Type: Bereavement leave is generally charged to sick leave. If sick leave is insufficient, employees may be able to request up to 40 hours of credited sick leave per fiscal year.
• Paid Parental Leave (PPL): Employees eligible for PPL may use it in lieu of sick leave following a stillbirth or the death of a child.
• Vacation Leave: May be used for funeral attendance of individuals not covered under the bereavement policy or have sufficient sick leave accruals, subject to supervisor approval.
• Funeral Attendance: Supervisors are encouraged to adjust schedules to allow employees to attend the funeral of a co-worker.

Bereavement leave policies are designed to support employees during difficult times while balancing operational needs. For specific eligibility and approval processes, please refer to your bargaining agreement or contact your HR representative.

All Other Paid Leaves

For all other Paid Leave of Absences (e.g. Educational Leave, Jury Duty, Court Appearance, etc.), please refer to your bargaining agreement or plan.

Unpaid Leave of Absences

Unpaid leaves of absence may be granted upon an employee's request and subsequent consideration for approval. This section contains generalized information for all notable unpaid leave types. Please review your bargaining agreement or plan for your specified leave information.

Unclassified Service Leave

Leave may be granted to any classified employee, including supervisors, to accept a position in the unclassified service of the State of Minnesota, in accordance with Minnesota Statutes 43A.07, subdivision 5. However, bargaining agreements for MSUAASF, MNA, and IFO do not include provisions for unclassified service leave.

Educational Leave

Educational leave may be granted to any employee, including faculty, supervisors, and nurses, for the purpose of pursuing certification or an advanced degree. Such leave may be unpaid, partially paid, or fully paid, and must be requested within a reasonable timeframe. Requests should not be unreasonably denied. Faculty members returning from educational leave are entitled to seniority credit for time accumulated during and prior to the leave, though seniority does not accrue beyond the third year. Typically, educational leave does not exceed two years but may be extended at the discretion of the President. Notably, the Commissioners Plan and MSUAASF bargaining agreements do not include provisions for educational leave.

Personal Leave

Leave may be granted to any employee, including supervisors and nurses, upon request, for personal reasons. Such leave is not intended for securing other employment, except as explicitly provided in applicable policies. Employees may be required to exhaust vacation accruals before taking personal leave of less than ten working days. Personal leave may also be used for reasons such as medical or parenthood leave for non-permanent employees. While IFO and MSUAASF bargaining agreements do not specifically include personal leave provisions, general leaves may apply. Review your contract for specific information.

All Other Unpaid Leaves

For all other Unpaid Leave of Absences (e.g. General Leave, Extended Leaves, Administrative Leaves, etc.), please refer to your bargaining agreement or plan.