MLHC PHYSICIAN PRACTICE EMPLOYEES Your Main Line Health Benefits 2015 Time Away From Work Program
Contents Earned Leave Program 3 Donation of Basic Leave Time 4 Disability 5 Short-Term Disability 5 Long-Term Disability 6 Workers Compensation 6 Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) 6 Leave of Absence (Non-FMLA) 7 Holidays 7 Other Time Off 7 2
Main Line Health (MLH) recognizes the need for employees to balance their work life with their family and personal life. That s why MLH offers a Time Away From Work Program that includes: A flexible Earned Leave Program that may be used for personal time off, scheduled vacations and your own illness Income replacement programs for time missed from work due to your own illness or injury Leaves of Absence Paid time for holidays, jury duty and bereavement To have a clear understanding of these benefits, review this brochure as well as the related Policies and Procedures located on the MLH intranet site. Earned Leave Program Full-time and part-time employees who are authorized to work at least 32 hours bi-weekly are eligible for Earned Leave: Basic Leave Extended Illness/Prolonged Illness You become eligible to use leave time from either bank after you complete 90 days of employment. Basic Leave Basic Leave can be used for vacation, a short-term illness (of seven or fewer calendar days), personal business or other reasons you need time away from work. You accrue Basic Leave hours on a calendar year basis. At year s end, you may carry over unused Basic Leave into the following year, to a maximum of one year s accrual. Accruing Basic Leave You accrue Basic Leave each pay period based on your pay grade. As indicated above, hours in your Basic Leave bank that are above your maximum accrual at the end of the year will be lost. For example, if you are a full-time employee in a pay grade beginning with 200 or 300, you may carry over up to 120 hours into the next calendar year. Any Basic Leave hours over 120 in your bank at the end of the last pay period of the year will be lost. (Refer to the Earned Leave Policy portion of the Policies and Procedures section on the MLH intranet site Connections Online for more information.) Taking Basic Leave Basic Leave requests require your manager s approval and should be submitted as far in advance as possible. To request Basic Leave, follow your department s procedure (e.g., verbal, written request, etc.). You must have enough Basic Leave to cover your time off when you make your request. A previously approved request may be denied if you do not have enough Basic Leave time. You cannot take unpaid time (scheduled or unscheduled) if you have time in your Basic Leave bank. Exempt employees may only use Basic Leave in full- or half-shift increments. Cashing In Basic Leave Earned Leave-eligible full-time and part-time non-manager employees may elect to cash in a portion of their projected accrued Basic Leave for the following year in accordance with IRS regulations. You must make the election during Open Enrollment, and the cash-in will be paid in September of the following year. To be eligible for the cash-in payment, you must maintain a Basic Leave balance equal to at least one-half of your biweekly authorized hours. Please note that payout amounts for cashed-in Basic Leave are at 75% of the gross payment amount and that all applicable taxes apply. For example, if your hourly rate is $20 and you request 40 hours, the gross payment (before applicable taxes) would be $600. Cashed-in hours are not used as part of the calculation to determine the 1,000-hour threshold to qualify for a year of pension service. 3
Donation of Basic Leave Time The Donation of Basic Leave program was created to assist Main Line Health employees who are experiencing a catastrophic event and have exhausted all applicable leave time. A catastrophic event is defined as a time when there is serious emotional and/or physical and financial hardship. Contributions to the fund: (Donor) Employees may contribute a minimum of one hour, up to a maximum of 60 hours per calendar year, of accrued Basic Leave time to the fund during the annual benefits open enrollment period, according to the following guidelines: Authorized bi-weekly hours Hours available for catastrophic donation Remaining minimum balance required 80 60 40 64 48 32 48 36 24 32 24 16 Other part-time schedules will be prorated in the same manner: The donation of Basic Leave must be in full-hour increments. Receiving fund donations: (Recipient) The recipient must have completed 90 days of continuous employment and be eligible to receive Basic Leave time. Employees are not permitted to solicit for donations. Donated Basic Leave time may not be converted into cash by the receiving employee. Any employee who is the recipient of donated Basic Leave must first exhaust all of his or her available time prior to receiving the donation. After the receiving employee has exhausted his or her own available time, the donated Basic Leave time may be available to the receiving employee on a pay period basis up to a maximum of his or her annual Basic Leave time allotment. Donated Basic Leave time will be paid in hours and according to the receiving employee s authorized hours and at the receiving employee s base rate of pay. Please note: Employees are eligible to receive/ access funds throughout the year. Donations, however, must occur during the annual Open Enrollment period. Donating employees must have completed 90 days of continuous employment. Basic Leave donations are made to an overall Main Line Health Employee Catastrophic Fund and not made directly to individual employees. Hours will be disbursed to employees based on the decisions of the HR Operations Committee. Donations are not tax deductible. 4
Disability Main Line Health offers various programs to supplement income for employees who are away from work due to a non-work-related disability: Basic Leave Extended Illness Prolonged Illness (for employees hired on or after 12/22/2013) Short-Term Disability (STD) Long-Term Disability (LTD) A disability is defined as a non-work-related illness or injury (pregnancy is also defined as a disability ) for which you are receiving appropriate care and treatment from a doctor on a continuing basis. Earned Leave-eligible employees who are out of work more than seven calendar days must contact our claim administrator, Matrix Absence Management, to obtain a medical certification to become eligible to receive these benefits. Extended Illness Extended Illness may be used beginning the eighth calendar day of an absence due to a serious illness or a prolonged medical condition (e.g., pregnancy). Extended Illness covers employees only. Physician certification is required. Accruing Extended Illness Employees hired prior to 12/22/2013 will continue to accrue Extended Illness. Annually, you will accrue 80 hours or 3.0769 hours per pay period of Extended Illness. You may carry over unused Extended Illness into the following years to a maximum of 640 hours. If you are a part-time employee, this time is prorated based on your actual hours worked, excluding overtime. Extended Illness will not be counted as time worked when determining overtime. (Refer to the Earned Leave Policy for additional information.) Prolonged Illness Employees hired or who become eligible for Earned Leave on or after 12/22/2013 will receive two (2) calendar weeks (maximum 80 hours; prorated for Earned Leave-eligible part-time employees) per calendar year of Prolonged Illness. Prolonged Illness may only be used for the employee s own nonwork-related extended illness or injury. A healthcare provider s certification is required in order to use Prolonged Illness time. Unused hours of Prolonged Illness will not carry over into the next year. Your Prolonged Illness bank will be replenished at the beginning of each calendar year, up to your maximum annual allotment. The maximum balance will not exceed two calendar weeks. Please note: If an employee is not approved for Short-Term Disability (STD), Extended Illness/ Prolonged Illness may not be used after the seventh calendar day of illness or injury. The employee s Extended Illness/Prolonged Illness bank must be exhausted prior to becoming eligible to use Short- Term Disability. Short-Term Disability Short-Term Disability (STD) benefits are provided to benefits-eligible employees who are authorized to work a minimum of 40 hours, bi-weekly. STD benefits begin either: The eighth calendar day of leave OR The day after your Extended Illness/Prolonged Illness is exhausted To qualify for the leave, contact Matrix Absence Management at 1-866-533-3438. You will automatically be enrolled in our 50% STD (MLH-paid) plan as an eligible new hire. You may elect to pay an additional premium amount through payroll deduction to receive 60% of your base pay in STD coverage. This election can be made at your time of hire or during our annual open enrollment. If You Leave MLH If you leave MLH or transfer to a non-earned Leave-eligible position, you will be paid for any accrued and unused Basic Leave within approximately 30 days, provided you have completed 90 days of employment. You will not be paid for any unused Extended Illness/ Prolonged Illness if you leave MLH or if you transfer to a non-earned Leave-eligible position. 5
You may not waive STD coverage. The combination of Earned Leave (Basic Leave and Extended Illness/Prolonged Illness) and STD may cover you through the 180th calendar day of your qualified leave due to illness or injury. For More Information See the Leave of Absence Policy for details about applying for a leave, using Basic Leave and Extended Illness/Prolonged Illness benefits during the leave and reinstatement provisions. Appropriate documentation must be submitted as far in advance as possible for any type of leave. All forms can be found on the MLH intranet site. How Do I Apply? To request an FMLA leave, complete and submit the appropriate request forms (located on the Benefits Express website under Time Away From Work>Leave of Absence>Requesting a Leave) at least 30 days before your anticipated leave. If you expect to be out of work for more than seven calendar days due to your own serious health condition, you will also need to apply for disability benefits by contacting Matrix Absence Management at 1-866- 533-3438 or online at www.matrixeservices. com. Long-Term Disability Long-Term Disability (LTD) benefits are provided to benefits-eligible employees who are authorized to work a minimum of 60 hours bi-weekly. LTD benefits begin on the 181st calendar day that you are unable to work due to a qualifying disability. LTD claims are reviewed and managed by Matrix Absence Management (if you are approved, checks will be mailed to your home from Reliance Standard). You will be automatically enrolled in our 50% LTD (MLH-paid) plan as a new hire. You may elect to pay an additional premium amount through payroll deduction to receive 60% or 70% of your base pay in LTD coverage. This election can be made at your time of hire or during our annual open enrollment. You may not waive LTD coverage. If you are approved to receive LTD coverage, benefits will begin on the first day after you complete the 180-day waiting period. The waiting period begins on the day you become disabled and ends after 180 days. Benefits are paid monthly, up to a maximum of $15,000 per month. LTD payments are offset by other disability benefits you may receive, such as Social Security benefits, so your total disability income from all sources equals the LTD benefit percentage you elect. LTD benefits continue as long as you are disabled or until you reach age 65 or die, whichever is first. (Refer to the Summary Plan Description for a full benefit description.) Workers Compensation Main Line Health complies with the Pennsylvania Workers Compensation Act; this includes the prompt payment of related medical expenses and compensation for time lost from work due to a work-related illness or injury. If you experience an injury/illness at work, report the injury/illness to your manager immediately and seek appropriate medical treatment as soon as possible. You must report the claim online in MLH s Employee Self-Service as soon as possible. (Refer to the Workers Compensation portion of the Policies and Procedures section on the MLH intranet site Connections Online for more information.) Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) An FMLA leave may be taken for: An employee s serious health condition (as defined under the most current FMLA regulations) The birth or adoption of a child or placement of a child for foster care Caring for an employee s child, spouse or parent who has a serious health condition Family members of military personnel also may be eligible for FMLA leave in certain situations (as outlined in the Leave of Absence Policy). Employees who have worked at least 1,250 hours during the previous 12 consecutive months, and who have completed at least a 12-month employment period, are eligible to request an FMLA leave. Eligible employees may request up to 12 weeks of 6
FMLA leave in a 12-month period, measured backward from the date the leave is to begin. Although FMLA regulations indicate that leave is generally unpaid, MLH requires employees to substitute Basic Leave for the first seven (7) calendar days (one standard work week) of their leave. If the leave is due to an employee s own serious health condition, qualified employees may be eligible to use their Extended Illness/Prolonged Illness, STD and LTD benefits as outlined in the Leave of Absence Policy. If the leave is due to the serious health condition of a family member, qualified employees may be eligible to use Basic Leave during FMLA. (Refer to the FMLA portion of the Policies and Procedures section on the MLH intranet site Connections Online for more information.) Leave of Absence (Non-FMLA) A leave of absence may be granted for three reasons: Medical Leave (non-fmla) - If you are not yet eligible or have exhausted your FMLA entitlement, you may be eligible for a Medical Leave. If your own serious injury or illness requires an extended absence, you may be granted a Medical Leave. The leave may be granted in 30-day increments. You may be granted extensions up to a maximum total leave of six months. Personal Leave - After six months of employment, you may be granted a Personal Leave if you need an extended period away from work for an emergency that is not covered under FMLA or other leave policy. You also may request a Personal Leave for educational purposes directly related to the healthcare field and your current position with Main Line Health. Personal Leaves may be granted for up to three months. Extensions may be granted up to a maximum total leave of six months. Military Leave - You may take a leave to fulfill your duty requirement in the National Guard or U.S. Military Reserves. Non-temporary employees who leave to perform active-duty service and who return to work within five years will be considered to be on a leave of absence. For More Detailed Information: The Leave of Absence, Earned Leave, Holiday, Jury Duty and Bereavement Policies can be found on the MLH intranet Short-Term Disability and Long-Term Disability Summary Plan Descriptions can be found on Benefits Express You may ask your FMLA & Disability Leave Administrator Holidays Each year, you receive six paid holidays: New Year s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Because of patient care needs, scheduling of holiday time off is dependent on staffing. If you need to work on a holiday, you will receive another day off. Other Time Off Jury Duty All employees who serve will be paid as if they had worked their authorized scheduled hours. You do not have to relinquish pay you receive for jury duty. To ensure adequate staffing, give the jury duty summons to your supervisor immediately. If your service is not required, notify your manager. You may be required to report to work. If not, you may use Basic Leave. For evening and night shifts, you will be paid if you serve the day of your assigned evening shift or the day immediately after your assigned night shift. Jury duty pay is not used to determine overtime. 7
Bereavement Leave All benefits-eligible employees, regardless of length of employment, are eligible to receive between 16 and 40 hours of paid Bereavement Leave for family members as shown below. Part-time employees receive prorated time off, up to their authorized bi-weekly hours. To be paid, you must notify your manager within seven days of the loss of your family member. Bereavement Leave is not used to determine overtime. Up to 40 Hours of Paid Leave for: Spouse: a husband, a wife or a verified domestic partner Parent: a biological, adoptive or step-parent or legal guardian Child: a biological child, a step-child, a child of a verified domestic partner or a legal dependent Up to 16 Hours of Paid Leave for: Sibling: a biological, adoptive or step-sister or step-brother Grand-relationships: a biological, adoptive or step-grandparent or step-grandchild In-law relationships: parent-, son- or daughter-in-law defined as a relative by marriage or verified domestic partnership You may be granted paid Basic Leave (or unpaid leave) for the death of someone not specified here. This brochure summarizes the benefits available to you under the MLH Time Away from Work Program. The plan contracts, plan documents and Human Resources policies and procedures contain the details of the program and supersede any provisions described in this brochure. All Policies and Summary Plan Descriptions can be accessed on the MLH intranet site. This document and any other documents of this nature are not contracts of employment. Main Line Health Human Resources 240 Radnor Chester Road Suite 200 Radnor, PA 19087 8