Benefits Human Resources

How to Apply for Leave Using the eForm

Employees have many options to start the leave request process. You can speak to your department supervisor or manager or to a member of your HR Employee Relations team. You can engage the Absence Management (AM) Team directly or you can simply submit the electronic form on your own to start the process. If you speak to your department or the Employee Relations Team first, they will reach out to the AM Team and make us aware of your need for leave. Once the AM Team is made aware, they will reach out to the employee to explain the next steps in the leave process.

FMLA Leaves will still require some additional paper forms to be completed as part of the request process. Those forms will be provided to employees by the Absence Management Team if the employee is eligible for FMLA. The signatures needed on these paper forms will now be obtained electronically through the Leave eForm. The eForms will be routed to the appropriate management personnel in the requesting employee’s department for approval or acknowledgement, depending on the type of leave requested.

You can apply for the following types of leave using the Leave Request eForm:

• FMLA
  • For yourself
  • Immediate Family Members (Spouse/Domestic Partner, Child, or Parent)
• Parental Leave**
• Military FMLA
  • Qualifying Exigency
  • Military Caregiver Leave
• Military Leave
  • Annual Reservist Training
  • Active Military Duty
• Non-Health Leaves of Absence

**- Employees who are applying for FMLA Leave for the reason of maternity or paternity leave will also be considered for Parental Leave. If it is determined that you are not eligible for Parental Leave, you will receive a separate notification of your ineligibility. If you are eligible for Parental Leave but not FMLA leave, you will also receive a separate notification of your ineligibility.

Accessing the Form

Employees can access the Leave eForm from their CIS home page.

1. Login to CIS
2. Scroll down to the Employee section of the page and look for the Request Leave tile.
3. You can click on the star to have the tile available in your My Favorites section.
4. Click on the Request Leave tile.

Employees who receive communication from the Absence Management Team prior to submitting their leave request will receive an email with a link to the form. Click on the link and follow the instructions to start your leave request.

Starting Your Leave Request

Employees will start their request for leave from the Leave eForm Home Page. Some instructions are provided on this page to help employees begin the leave request process. Those instructions are mirrored in the steps below.

1. Click on the Start a Request button, located on the left side of the screen.
2. Enter in your Employee ID (UNID), under the Employee Information section, in the field labeled Employee ID. Be sure to type in your UNID using a zero as the first number instead of U (00012345, not u0012345).
3. Click on the search icon. Your employee information should auto-populate in the majority of the fields provided (Name, Supervisor, Job Code, Department, etc.).
4. Fill in the Preferred Communication Email field. Please indicate the email you would like communications about your leave sent to during your leave of absence. This can be your work email or a personal email. Please note whichever email you select to use; this will be the email you will need to check for emails and updates regarding the current leave for which you are applying.
5. Enter your phone number in the Personal Phone field. This will be the phone number the AM Team uses to, if needed, contact the employee during their leave of absence.

Completing the Questionnaire

Under the Questionnaire section, you will answer a series of questions about your current situation. Select your answers using the provided responses in the drop-down fields next to each question. Your answers to these questions will determine the type of leave you are requesting when the form is submitted to the Absence Management Team.

1. Provide answers to the leave questions based on your situation.
2. Click on the Next button to continue the process.
3. Complete the Leave Details section of the eForm.
   • You must indicate the Leave Frequency, continuous or intermittent (required field).
   • Enter your Anticipated Leave Begin Date (required field).
   • If you know your Anticipated Leave End Date, please provide it in the field provided.
   • If you are applying for Parental Leave (maternity or paternity FMLA leave), you will need to indicate how many weeks of Parental Leave you are requesting.
     • Employees who select 6 weeks of leave or less will be granted the 100% pay option.
     • Employees who select more than 6 weeks of leave will be granted the 50% pay option.
   • Indicate whether you would like to use any of your Personal Preference time
   • Indicate whether you would like to save vacation time. Employees can save up to 10 days of vacation while on FMLA leave.
     • Important Note: If you choose to save vacation time, your Payroll Reporter or supervisor will be responsible for making sure your saved time is not entered on your timecard.
   • Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click the Submit button. This will let the AM Team know that a new leave has been submitted. This will also begin the routing process for the request. The form will be sent to your management team so the request can be acknowledged or approved/denied.

If you feel that you have made an error, please contact the Absence Management Team at 801581-7447, Option 2, Option 1 or email them at absencemanagement@utah.edu. They will advise you on your next steps to apply for the appropriate leave for your situation.

After Submitting the Request

After you have submitted your leave request, the eForm will be directed to members of your management team to approve or acknowledge the leave request, depending on the type of leave you have requested. Please reference the chart below to see which leaves require acknowledgment or approval.

The eForm will be available to the Absence Management Team while the acknowledgements and approvals are being obtained so the leave process may continue. Your leave will not be able to be completely processed until all acknowledgements or approvals have been obtained.

Receiving Leave Communications

When your leave has been processed you will receive additional emails from the Absence Management Team in regards to your leave. Your leave may be approved or denied depending on a number of determining factors. Whether your leave is approved or denied, you will receive an email from the Absence Management Team letting you know how your leave has been designated. The Leave Administrator assigned to your leave case will use the preferred email you provided when you first submitted your Leave Request eForm.

You will also receive emails reminding you of your leave end date or if we require additional information from you. It is important that you respond to the emails requesting additional information in a timely manner as delayed responses may cause delays in processing your leave or returning you from leave. Please feel free to reach out to the Team if you have any questions or concerns during the leave process.

Your Benefits While on Leave

Some leaves you may qualify for are a product of federal law. These types of leave typically provide protection for the employee’s job and for the employee’s benefits. Benefits protection means that the employee’s benefits will not change will they are on leave. Your coverage remains the same and you will only pay your portion of the benefit costs. Other leaves, like the Non-Health LOA, do not have this sort of protection. This means the employee could be responsible for paying the full cost (employee and employer portions) of their benefits while on leave.

As long as you are on a paid leave (receiving pay through your salary or your accruals), you will only pay the employee portion of your benefit costs. If you need to take any portion of your leave unpaid, you may have to pay the full cost of your benefits during that unpaid period. Due to the significant increase in cost to the employee, they will have the option to cancel their benefit coverage temporarily during that portion of the leave. Once you return to work and a paid status, your benefit costs will return to just the employee portion.

If an employee decides to cancel any of their benefits during an unpaid leave, they will need to let the Absence Management Team know as soon as possible. You will need to complete and submit cancellation forms before any cancellation can take place. When you return to work, make sure to work with the Leave Administrator assigned to your case to reinstate your cancelled benefits. Depending on the length of time your benefits are cancelled, you may need to re-enroll in some of your insurance coverages. This will require you to submit evidence of insurability to the insurance company to regain coverage. This means re-enrollment in your previous coverage is not guaranteed.

Checking the Status / Updating Your Leave Request

If you need to make any changes to your leave request, contact the Leave Administrator assigned to your leave case. Cases are assigned based on the requesting employee’s last name. Check here to find which Leave Administrator has been assigned to your case.

Returning from Leave

Before your leave request can be closed, we need to make sure you have returned from leave. Stay in contact with your department during your leave about your intentions to return to work. When you are ready to come back to work, inform your department and the Absence Management Team as soon as possible. They will need update your employee record and submit an ePAF to return you from leave.

FMLA Leaves

Employees who are on a continuous FMLA leave for their own serious health condition will need to obtain a doctor’s note stating when the employee is able to return to work. Even if they are returning on the date reported on their leave approval letter, employees will still need to provide the doctor’s note. A form will be attached to the approval letter and the 2-Week Reminder letter that you can provide to your medical provider(s) to obtain the information needed. You can also obtain and submit a doctor’s note stating your return-towork date and any restrictions you may have.

If you have restrictions, the Absence Management Team will reach out and inquire if these restrictions can be accommodated by your department. If not, you may need to continue on your leave until the restrictions are lifted or you run out of FMLA leave. Alternately, you may need to request an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Employees who are in need of an accommodation should reach out to the ADA Specialist at hraccommodations@utah.edu or use this link to access the Accommodations Request form.

Leave Request Quick Steps

1. Report your need for leave to your department, Employee Relations, or Absence Management.
2. Receive link to the eForm in the initial email from the AM Team or access the eForm request through CIS using the Request Leave tile.
3. Complete the employee portion (Employee Information and Questionnaire sections) of the eForm and submit.
4. Then complete the Leave Details section.
5. The eForm will route to your management team for acknowledgement or approval.
6. AM Team will request any additional information needed to process your leave request.
7. AM Team will send out an approval or denial letter based on the information received.
8. If you are on an unpaid leave and would like to cancel your benefits due to the change in cost, work with your Leave Administrator to temporarily cancel coverage.
9. AM Team will send you a reminder as your leave end date approaches.
10. *Acquire a return-to-work letter from your medical provider that states your return date and any work restrictions you may have.
11. Inform the AM Team when you return from leave.
12. Work with your Leave Administrator to re-enroll in any cancelled benefits.
13. If you need to continue or extend your leave, contact your Leave Administrator to determine next steps.

*Only applies to employees on continuous FMLA leave for their own serious health condition.

Report any changes regarding your leave to the AM Team as soon as you know. Follow up with your Leave Administrator to check the status of your leave request.

How to Apply for Leave Using the eForm

Employees have many options to start the leave request process. They can speak to their department supervisor or manager or to a member of their HR Employee Relations team. They can also engage the Absence Management (AM) Team directly, or they can submit the electronic form on their own to start the process.

If your employee reaches out to you to report their leave, you will need to reach out to the AM Team and make us aware of your employee’s need for leave. Once the AM Team is made aware, we will reach out to the employee to explain the next steps in the leave process.

FMLA Leaves will still require some additional paper forms to be completed as part of the request process. Those forms will be provided to employees by the Absence Management Team if the employee is eligible for FMLA. The signatures needed on these paper forms will now be obtained electronically through the Leave eForm. The eForms will be routed to the appropriate management personnel in the requesting employee’s department(s) for approval or acknowledgement, depending on the type of leave requested. Employees can apply for the following types of leave using the Leave Request eForm:

• FMLA
  • For yourself
  • Immediate Family Members (Spouse/Domestic Partner, Child, or Parent)
• Parental Leave**
• Military FMLA
  • Qualifying Exigency
  • Military Caregiver Leave
• Military Leave
  • Annual Reservist Training
  • Active Military Duty
• Non-Health Leaves of Absence

**- Employees who are applying for FMLA Leave for the reason of maternity or paternity leave will also be considered for Parental Leave. If it is determined that you are not eligible for Parental Leave, you will receive a separate notification of your ineligibility. If you are eligible for Parental Leave but not FMLA leave, you will also receive a separate notification of your ineligibility.

After the Request is Submitted

After the employee has submitted their leave request, the eForm will be directed to members of their management team to approve or acknowledge the leave request, depending on the type of leave requested. Please reference the chart below to see which leaves require acknowledgment or approval and by whom.

The Leave eForm will be routed to managers and supervisors similar to how ePAFs are routed. You will receive an email notification indicating that you have a worklist item that needs your attention when an eForm has been routed to you for approval.

The eForm will be available to the Absence Management Team while the acknowledgements and approvals are being obtained so the leave process may continue. However, the employee’s leave will not be able to be completely processed until all acknowledgements or approvals have been obtained.

Acknowledging or Approving a Leave Request

Supervisors will need to acknowledge or approve their employees’ leave requests before the leave process can be completed. When your employee completes and submits their leave request, an email will be sent to their supervisor, alerting them that a new worklist item needs their attention. It is from your eForm Worklist that you will be able to acknowledge or approve an employee’s leave request. You can access these Worklist Items the same way you access ePAFs that need to be worked.

1. Login to CIS.
2. Scroll down to the HR Administrative Services section and locate the My Worklist tile.
3. Click on the star within the tile to create a copy of the My Worklist tile in your My Favorites section (if you haven’t already done so).
4. Click on the My Worklist tile.
   • A submitted leave request will look this in your Worklist:
   • The first column is the name of the employee who submitted the form. This name may not always be one of your employee’s. Sometimes a member of the AM Team or you may need to submit the request on the employee’s behalf.
   • The second column will indicate the date the leave request was submitted.
   • The third column lets you know what type of eForm has been submitted. Notification Worklist indicates that this entry is a leave request. Evaluate Department ePAF indicates the entry is an ePAF that needs to be worked.
   • The information in the sixth column will let you know for whom the leave request has been submitted and the Leave eForm ID number. This number is unique to that particular leave request. When working with the Absence Management Team (AM Team), they may ask you to provide this number to make it easier to identify your employee’s leave.
5. Click on the link in the sixth column to access the leave request. You will be directed to a page with an attestation and a drop-down menu.
6. Please read the attestation associated with the type of leave being requested.
7. Click on the drop-down menu to select the I Acknowledge option if the leave is for FMLA, Parental Leave, or Military Leave.
8. If the leave requested is a Non-Health Leave of Absence, please select the Granted or Denied option depending on your decision.
   • Answer the questions that appear using the drop-down menus provided.
     • Indicate if you are willing to allow the employee to use vacation and/or personal preference time while on the leave. Typically, these leaves are unpaid, but accrual usage can be granted as long as sick time is not used.
     • If you allow the employee to use accruals, please indicate whether they would like to save any of their vacation and/or personal preference time.
     • Indicate whether the department will continue to pay their portion of the employee’s benefit costs during their leave. **If the employee is allowed to use their accruals during the leave, the department is required to pay their portion of the benefit costs. If the employee takes any unpaid leave, the department may choose to have the employee pay the full costs of their benefits (employee and employer portions).
     • The Dean/Director field must be used to select the next approver in the routing process. The employee indicated should be the Department Head level employee that makes budgetary and fiduciary decisions for the department. Click on the search icon to bring up a list of available Deans and Directors. Type in the name of the Dean/Director or their UID and make the appropriate selection. If the person you are searching for is not included in the list, please notify the HR Team.
     • If this field is left blank, the routing process will end. This means the AM Team will need to resubmit the eForm so the supervisor can enter the next appropriate approver. If you have made an error and selected the wrong person, reach out to the AM Team for assistance.
9. Make any comments you would like to regarding the leave request. Only the members of the AM Team will be able to see your comments.
   • If your employee indicates they want to apply for intermittent Parental Leave or Maternity/Paternity FMLA leave, please notify the AM Team in the comments section whether you approve or deny the employee’s proposed intermittent schedule.
   • This will be a separate conversation you have with the employee.
     • If you approve the intermittent schedule, the AM Team will send the appropriate letter and have the employee complete and submit
       intermittent tracking sheets during their leave.
     • If you deny the intermittent schedule, the employee will take their leave as a continuous leave. Indicating a denial of the proposed intermittent schedule in no way denies the employee’s Parental Leave pay or FMLA leave.
10. Click Acknowledge to submit your chosen option. Remember, the approval or acknowledgement of the leave must be completed before the employee’s leave request can be processed by the Absence Management Team to completion.

Remember, the approval or acknowledgement of the leave must be completed before the employee’s leave request can be processed by the Absence Management Team to completion.

Submitting a Leave Request for Your Employee

As a supervisor, you may encounter a situation where you will need to submit a leave request on behalf of one of your employees. This could happen if your employee has been incapacitated by injury or illness and is unable to submit a request on their own. In these situations, the leave process should still proceed to ensure the employee gets placed on the appropriate leave and, if eligible, receive the protections entitled to them under federal law. Follow the instructions below to access and submit a leave request for your employee.

Accessing & Starting the Leave Request

Supervisors can access the Leave eForm from their CIS home page.

1. Login to CIS and look for the Request Leave tile in the Employee section of the page. Click on the star to have the tile available in your My Favorites section.
2. Employees who receive communication from the Absence Management Team (AM Team) prior to submitting their leave request will receive a link to the form. Supervisors will access the form through CIS using the steps above.
3. Click on the Start a Request button, located on the left side of the screen.
4. Enter in your employee’s ID number (UNID), under the Employee Information section, in the field labeled Employee ID. Be sure to type in your UNID using a zero as the first number instead of U (00012345, not u0012345).
5. Click on the search icon. Your employee’s information should auto-populate in the majority of the fields provided (Name, Supervisor, Job Code, Department, etc.).
6. Fill in the Preferred Communication Email field. Please indicate the email you would like communications about your employee’s leave sent to during their leave of absence. This can be the employee’s work email or a personal email. Please note whichever email you select to use; this will be the email your employee will need to check for emails and updates regarding the current leave for which you are applying on their behalf.
7. Enter the employee’s phone number in the Personal Phone field. This will be the phone number the AM Team uses to, if needed, contact the employee during their leave of absence.

Completing the Questionnaire

Under the Questionnaire section, you will answer a series of questions about your employee’s current situation. Select the appropriate answers using the provided responses in the dropdown fields next to each question. Your answers to these questions will determine the type of leave you are requesting for your employee when the form is submitted to the Absence Management Team (AM Team).

1. Answer the questions given what you know about the employee’s situation.
2. Click on the Next button to continue the process.
3. Complete the Leave Details section of the eForm.
4. Indicate the Leave Frequency, continuous or intermittent. (required field)
   • Enter the Anticipated Leave Begin Date. (required field)
   • If you know the employee’s Anticipated Leave End Date, please provide it in the field provided.
   • If the employee is applying for Parental Leave (maternity or paternity FMLA leave), you will need to indicate how many weeks of Parental Leave they are requesting.
     • Employees who select 6 weeks of leave or less will be granted the 100% pay option.
     • Employees who select more than 6 weeks of leave will be granted the 50% pay option.
   • Indicate whether the employee would like to use Personal Preference time.
   • Indicate whether the employee would like to save any vacation time or not. If the employee wants to save vacation time, enter the number of days in the field that appears after you answer Yes.
   • If you aren’t sure if your employee will want to use their personal preference time or save vacation time, leave both answers set to No. Let the AM Team know you aren’t sure about the employee’s intentions for using their accruals. Given this information, the AM Team will follow up with the employee to make sure we know for sure what accruals should be used or not.
   • Important Note: If the employee chooses to save vacation time, the Payroll Reporter or supervisor is responsible for making sure their saved time is not entered on their timecard.
5. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click the Submit button. This will let the AM Team know that a new leave has been submitted. This will also begin the routing process for the request. The form will be sent to the employee’s management team so the request can be acknowledged or approved/denied.
6. The eForm will be routed to you as the first or only acknowledger/approver of the request, depending on the type of leave requested. Follow the steps in the Acknowledging or Approving a Leave Request section above to complete your part of the request process.

If you feel that you have made an error, please contact the Absence Management Team at 801-581-7447, Option 2, Option 1, or email them at absencemanagement@utah.edu. They will advise you on next steps to apply for the appropriate leave for your employee’s situation.

Receiving Leave Communications

When the leave has been processed, your employee will receive additional emails from the Absence Management Team in regards to their leave. The leave may be approved or denied depending on a number of determining factors. Whether the leave is approved or denied, the employee will receive an email from the Absence Management Team letting them know how their leave has been designated. The Leave Administrator assigned to the leave case will use the preferred email provided when they or you first submitted the Leave Request eForm. If the employee is approved, there will be additional information included for the supervisor in case there are any questions. Supervisors are always welcome to contact the AM Team directly as well.

Your employee will also receive emails reminding them of their leave end date or if the AM Team requires additional information from the employee. It is important that they respond to the emails requesting additional information in a timely manner. Delayed responses may cause delays in processing their leave or returning them from leave. Work with your employee and the AM Team to make sure your employee is on track during their leave and when returning from leave. Open communication will make for a much smoother leave process and experience. Please feel free to reach out to the Team if you have any questions or concerns during or after the leave process.

Employee Benefits While on Leave

Some leaves employees may qualify for are a product of federal law. These types of leave typically provide protection for the employee’s job means the employee could be responsible for paying the full cost (employee and employer portions) of their benefits while on leave.

As long as an employee is on a paid leave (receiving pay through salary or accruals), they will only pay the employee portion of their benefit costs. If any portion of an employee’s leave is unpaid, they may have to pay the full cost of their benefits during that unpaid period. Due to the significant increase in cost to the employee, they will have the option to cancel their benefit coverage temporarily during that portion of the leave. Once the employee returns to work and a paid status, their benefit costs will return to just the employee portion.

If an employee decides to cancel any of their benefits during an unpaid leave, they will need to let the Absence Management Team know as soon as possible. They will need to complete and submit cancellation forms before any benefit cancellation can take place. When employees return to work, make sure to work with the Leave Administrator assigned to the case to get your employee’s cancelled benefits reinstated. Depending on the length of time their benefits are cancelled, they may need to re-enroll in some of their previous insurance coverages. This will require them to submit evidence of insurability to the insurance company to regain coverage. This means re-enrollment in their previous coverages is not guaranteed.

Checking the Status / Updating Your Employee’s Leave Request

If you need to make any changes to your employee’s leave request, contact the Leave Administrator assigned to the leave case. Cases are assigned based on the requesting employee’s last name. Check here to find which Leave Administrator has been assigned to your employee’s case.

Returning from Leave

Before an employee’s leave request can be closed, we need to make sure they have returned from leave. Stay in contact with your employee and the Absence Management Team during the leave about the employee’s intentions to return to work. When they are ready to come back to work, inform the Absence Management Team as soon as possible. We will need to update your employee’s record and submit an ePAF to return the employee from leave.

FMLA Leaves

Employees who are on a continuous FMLA leave for their own serious health condition will need to obtain a doctor’s note stating when the employee is able to return to work. Even if they are returning on the date reported on their leave approval letter, employees will still need to provide the doctor’s note. A form will be attached to the approval letter and the 2-Week Reminder letter that employee’s can provide to their medical providers to obtain the information needed. The employee can also obtain and submit a doctor’s note stating the employee’s return-to-work date and any restrictions the employee may have.

If the employee has restrictions, the Absence Management Team will reach out and inquire if these restrictions can be accommodated. If not, the employee may need to continue on their leave until the restrictions are lifted or the employee runs out of FMLA leave. Alternately, the employee may need to request an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Employees who are in need of an accommodation should reach out to the ADA Specialist at hraccommodations@utah.edu or use this link to access the Accommodations Request form.

Supervisor Quick Steps

Acknowledging/Approving a Leave Request

1. Receive an email notification that you have a leave related worklist item that needs your attention.
2. Access your eForm Worklist from CIS by clicking on the My Worklist tile in the HR Administrative Services section. (click on the star to place a copy in your My Favorites section)
3. Click on the link within the Worklist Item to access the leave request acknowledgement/approval screen.
4. Read the attestation and click on the dropdown menu.
5. Select the I acknowledge (for FMLA, Parental Leave, and Military Leaves) or Granted or Denied (for NHLOA leaves) option, depending on the requested leave.
   • NHLOA leaves will require the supervisor to answer additional questions regarding the leave.
   • NHLOA leaves will also require the supervisor to provide the next approver in the process using the Dean/Director to Approve field on the leave approval screen.
6. Make any comments you’d like to make regarding the leave request in the Comments box.
   • If your employee has applied for intermittent Parental Leave and/or maternity/paternity FMLA leave, indicate whether you approve or deny the employee’s proposed intermittent schedule.
7. Click the Acknowledge button at the bottom of the page.
8. The AM Team will continue the leave process and send additional communication as needed.
9. Follow up with the AM Team if you have any additional questions or concerns.

Requesting Leave for Your Employee

1. You are made aware of your employee’s need for leave but they are unable to complete the request.
2. Contact the AM Team and let them know.
3. Receive link to the eForm in the initial email from the AM Team or access the eForm request through CIS using the Request Leave tile.
4. Complete the employee portion (Employee Information and Questionnaire sections) of the eForm and submit. Then complete the Leave Details section.
5. The eForm will route to the employee’s management team for acknowledgement or approval.
6. AM Team will request any additional information needed to process the leave request.
7. AM Team will send out an approval or denial letter based on the information received.
8. If the employee is on an unpaid leave, inform your employee’s Leave Administrator if you will continue to pay the department portion of the benefit costs.
9. AM Team will send out a reminder about 2 weeks before the leave is supposed to end.
10. Inform the Leave Administrator when your employee returns from leave.
    • Obtain a return-to-work letter from your employee that states their return date and any work restrictions they may have; otherwise, the employee will need to remain on leave. Submit the note to the Leave Administrator handling the leave.
11. If the employee needs to continue or extend their leave, contact the Leave Administrator to determine next steps.

*Only applies to employees on an unpaid Non-Health LOA.

**Only applies to employees on continuous FMLA leave for their own serious health condition.

Report any changes regarding your employee’s leave to the AM Team as soon as you are aware. Follow up with your Leave Administrator to check the status of your employee’s leave request.